“The King is happy”, What about the Rakyat, Mr. Prime Minister?

“The King is happy”, says Dollah Badawi www.malaysiakini.com

Chan Kok Leong | Sep 5, 2008

Despite the spate of SMS-es counting down the days leading to an “imminent” formation of a new federal government on Sept 16, the prime minister remains unfazed. MCPX And according to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, neither is the King. On the sidelines of a function at his office today, the premier said the King has been brought up to speed on the current political situation and has expressed satisfaction with the current government. He was responding to a question on whether he had met the King and briefed him on the current situation. “Whenever I see the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, I do brief the King on what is happening. “I also assured him, as far as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is concerned, business is as usual and that we are doing everything to improve our administration. “We are also helping people cope with the rising costs of oil and goods,” said Abdullah, adding that the King is pleased with the current administration. ‘If they want to go, let them go’ On Barisan Nasional MPs going on a study tour overseas during the week leading to Sept 16, Abdullah replied: “If they want to go, let them go. What has that got to do with Sept 16?” “It (Sept 16) is not important for them. They are not the ones who will jump ship and leave BN for the opposition. “They will never abandon their parties and the BN coalition is also their party. We are not a party which has lost and we are still governing the country,” said the premier. “We will make sure that whatever they (the opposition) wants to do on Sept 16 will not happen. And I don’t think it can happen,” he added. The opposition, Abdullah explained, are depending very much on BN parliamentarians deserting the coalition. “Our people will not desert us and give them the advantage of setting up a new government. No!” he stressed. Earlier, the prime minister launched the Business Licensing Electronic Support System or BLESS – a one-stop online portal that allows simultaneous application of licences, approvals and permits for starting a business in Malaysia. BLESS is expected to be implemented in four phases. The first phase which begins immediately would be limited to the Klang Valley catering to the manufacturing sector only. The hotel and construction sectors are slated to follow by the end of the year. The second phase which begins in July next year would cover all the sectors.