After a month Pak Lah admits it's his fault.

BN's setback: PM admits fault

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today admitted that he was among the factors which caused the Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling coalition to suffer heavy losses in the March 8 polls.
Abdullah - who is also the Umno president - said he felt
responsible for making the best efforts to rehabilitate BN and Umno.
"I feel I am the reason for the spoilt votes for the Barisan Nasional. And I feel responsible to do what's best to rehabilitate the BN and Umno," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
The prime minister was speaking to reporters after attending a meeting with Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman, who also heads the state Umno liaison body.
Also present at the meeting were International Trade and Industry Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Umno vice-president, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar, Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad.
However, Education Minister and Umno Youth head Hishammuddin Hussein did not attend the meeting as he is currently in Paris on official duty.
Unfulfilled promises
Meanwhile, Abdullah said he understood that many changes promised to the people earlier had not been fulfilled by the government until now.
He said the changes promised to the people covered various aspects such as the judicial system, eradication of corrupt practices, bringing down the crime rate and fostering inter-racial relations in the country.
Abdullah said the changes implemented by the government needed time before it could show positive results.
"As such, I will continue to give emphasis to bring the changes promised to the people. In fact, they had already been included in the pledges of the BN government in the (election) manifesto in 2004," he said.
Working hard
Abdullah said since 2004 he has been working hard to overcome several problems such as the country’s large financial deficit, economic issues and development as well as the renewal of government-linked companies (GLCs).
As for the policies drafted by the government, the prime minister said the government always ensures that it is accepted by the people and any mistakes are rectified as soon as possible.
On the meeting, Abdullah said they discussed openly about issues concerning Umno’s position.
"I took the opportunity to speak on several issues which must be considered together (by the state Umno liaison body)," he said.
The prime minister said the state liaison body had also forwarded several suggestions to rebuild the party but he declined to elaborate on this.

Abdullah Acknowledges Having Received Demands To Step Down As Umno President

JOHOR BAHARU, April 11 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Friday acknowledged having received demands from a number of state Umno liaison committees to resign as Umno president for the party's dismal performance in the general election last month.
"There have been demands. Not all (the committees) made such demands. I have also received reports. It does not matter that they want to express themselves on the matter of stepping down and all. I am not one who is going to retain the leadership forever," the prime minister said after a closed-door meeting with the Johor Umno Liaison Committee, led by Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, at a hotel here.
Abdullah was commenting on calls by the Penang and Kedah Umno liaison committees for him to step down as Umno president due to the dismal performance of the party and the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the general election.
The BN lost its two-third majority in the Dewan Rakyat, failed to recapture Kelantan from PAS and lost Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor to the Pakatan Rakyat comprising PAS, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and DAP.
Abdullah reiterated that he would only withdraw once he had resolved all the party's internal problems and had regained the people's confidence in the party.
"It is not that I want to carry on helming the party for a long time. Most importantly, I have the mandate from the people and I am still the president (of the party).
"I have to discharge my duties (as the prime minister and party president) and I feel duty-bound to ensure that all problems are resolved. That is the priority," said Abdullah in reference to his stand which he had stated at a meeting with the Umno information machinery in Kuala Lumpur recently.
Abdullah also reiterated that the defeat of Umno and the BN in the general election, particularly in Kedah and Perak, was due to sabotage by the party's members themselves.
"We cannot be in a state of denial," he said in reminding party members of the various other factors which had contributed to the poor showing by Umno and the BN in several states in the general election.


tunku : at last he admits it, he just woke up i guess after sleeping for long time.BN and umno defeats are 80% because of him, his week leadership.it's high time for him to step down.don't give excuses right now,you can't change anything.it's not because he has failed to fulfill all the promises,it's he himself. the opposition loves him because of his leadership the won big this time.if possible the wants him to be the prime minister till the can win big and becomes the government.