Malaysia Swears In New Prime Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Najib Razak was sworn in as Prime Minister of Malaysia today, replacing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who resigned yesterday in a move that had been widely anticipated for weeks. Razak promised to re-energize national politics and to end a nagging challenge to his party's long-standing rule by opposition nemesis, Anwar Ibrahim.

However, many fear that the arch-conservative former defense minister, who has served as deputy prime minister for the last six years, will crack down on dissent at a time when opinion polls show that many Malaysians are yearning for change. ...