Hishammuddin Sees Anwar's Prediction As Political Game

PUTRAJAYA, April 24 (Bernama)

Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein has described the statement by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that the Pakatan Rakyat would be able to form the federal government no later than Sept 16 as a political game.

"Three weeks ago he said there would be changes in the country's leadership in two weeks. Now two weeks have gone and he said it would happen in September.

"He can do a lot of prediction, and if its does not come true, then it will only damage his own credibility," said the education minister here Thursday.

Hishammuddin said the public had started to see the political game the former deputy prime minister was playing when one by one of his statements and accusations proved to be baseless.

He was met after presenting a donation of RM21,800 from the teachers training institutes for Sharlinie Mohd Nashar's parents, here today. Sharlinie, five, has been missing since Jan 9.

On Umno Youth exco member Datuk Idris Haron's view expressed yesterday that the post of Umno Youth chief should be filled by someone well groomed for the post rather than through a contest, Hishammuddin said it was up to the movement.

He said the contest for the post was a healthy practice, on condition that those contesting understood the direction of the movement.

On the suggestion for a commission to be set up to investigate the reduced support for Umno, Hishammuddin said it was up to the Supreme Council to decide.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, who is also an Umno Supreme Council member, yesterday urged Umno to change its operational method by setting up a commission to investigate the reasons for support for Umno to decline.

Meanwhile, in KOTA KINABALU, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Majun said the political development in Sabah since independence which saw regular changes in government had caused certain aspects which were supposed to be controlled by the state government, to be compromised.

He said, the previous state government approaches were aimed at showing the newly-elected government as being "close" to the federal government.

He was commenting on Anwar's statement that Sabah should be given more space in deciding the state government's policies without much interference from Kuala Lumpur.

"In other words, there are some (state government) powers which are claimed to be taken over by the federal government, through a compromise made by the former state government leaders.

"So, we cannot blame the federal government solely on this matter because we should also assess the action taken by the former state leaders who were responsible in handing over the powers to the federal government," he told reporters after opening the Sabah and Sarawak Art Exhibition, here Thursday.

Masidi said that in his meeting with the prime minister recently, the issue of the overlapping functions of federal and state departments was also raised.

"It is understood that he (prime minister) has brought the issue to the Cabinet meeting and action has been taken to make a rationalisation on the functions of the federal departments in Sabah so that they will not overlap the state departments' functions.

"Please be reminded that Sabah has its own ministries and departments with 24,548 staff, while there are 100,000 federal government staff, including the police, in Sabah."

He said some of their functions could be handled by state government officers.