Malaysia in 2007: Abdullah Administration under Siege

Abstract

In the March 2004 general elections, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi won an overwhelming mandate from Malaysian voters and his soaring popularity was confirmed in an opinion poll conducted among peninsular voters in November 2004 when 91 per cent of those polled approved his performance. Since then, however, his popularity has steadily declined and by November 2007 it had plummeted to a new low of 61 per cent. Ethnic relations have worsened because the Abdullah administration has