Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Search
Search:
Malaysia leader pushes for reforms before retiring
By JULIA ZAPPEI,Associated Press Writer AP - 39 minutes ago
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia's leader pushed for major legislative reforms to boost judicial transparency and combat corruption Wednesday in a bid to fulfill his promises of better governance before he retires in less than four months.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi introduced two proposals in Parliament to create an independent panel that would help select senior judges and to give wider powers to the government's anti-graft agency.
The proposed reforms form part of the government's response to severe losses suffered in March general elections that were attributed to public grievances over a host of political, economic and social issues.
"We will see a lot of improvements," Abdullah told reporters. "It will increase the level of confidence in these two institutions" of the judiciary and anti-corruption agency.
Lawmakers will debate the proposals and vote whether to approve them by Dec. 18.
Critics have said the judiciary and government's anti-corruption watchdog are heavily politicized and prone to influence by power-brokers.
Abdullah pledged to set up an independent panel to identify and recommend judges for high-level courts after a prominent lawyer was accused last year of brokering judicial appointments through his political and business connections.
Senior judges are currently chosen and recommended for appointment by the prime minister, though the king formally appoints them. Under the new plan, the prime minister would retain the biggest say, but observers hope an independent body would weed out unwarranted candidates.
Abdullah's other key proposal involves giving the state anti-corruption body more powers such as to choose which cases it wants to investigate.
Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said the reforms would make things "much better than presently ... but fall short of the promise that it will be an all-out war against corruption."
Abdullah recently announced he would hand power to his deputy, Najib Razak, by early April to revive the government's fortunes after the opposition made unprecedented inroads in March, winning five of Malaysia's 13 states and more than one-third of parliamentary seats.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: Asia Pacific
Vietnam police launch probe in Japan bribery case: state mediaAFP - 17 minutes ago
Malaysia frees alleged militant tied to 9/11 attackersAFP - 25 minutes ago
Oil turns higher in AsiaAFP - 38 minutes ago
Malaysia leader pushes for reforms before retiringAP - 43 minutes ago
Court jails tanker officers over SKorea's worst oil spillAFP - 47 minutes ago
Most Popular – Asia Pacific
Viewed
New recession warnings hit leading economies
Muslim pilgrims stone Satan at the hajj
Dow Chemical to cut 5,000 jobs, close 20 facilities
Stocks take flight on prospects for anti-recession moves
Military jet crashes in California suburb, three dead
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular