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. Central to those fears is the government's use of Malaysia's widely loathed Internal Security Act (ISA). Supporters claim the act is an important legal weapon for combating the war against terrorism. But critics note that it has often been used to silence political opponents and shut down newspapers that run opposition editorials.
Malaysia Swears In New Prime Minister
