Tun Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

 

Year 2003OCT 31: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi takes over as Malaysia’s fifth prime minister.

DEC 11: The controversial RM14.5bil railway double-track- ing project is postponed.

Year 2004

JAN 6: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is named Deputy Prime Minister.
MARCH 21: After the shortest campaign period in history, Barisan Nasional wins a landslide victory in the 11th General Election, taking 198 out of 219 parliamentary seats. Barisan also recaptures Terengganu from PAS.

MARCH 27: Abdullah announces his first Cabinet with 14 new faces and three new ministries: Natural Resources and Environment, Federal Territories and Higher Education.

APRIL 23: Abdullah launches the five-year National Integrity Plan (NIP) aimed at promoting an accountable and corrupt-free society.

JULY 18: Abdullah wins the Umno presidency unopposed.
SEPT 10: Abdullah presents his first Budget as head of the Government and Finance Minister.
SEPT 23: Abdullah launches the Islam Hadhari (Civilisational Islam) concept in his opening address at the Umno general assembly.
OCT31: Pak Lah completes his first year as Prime Minister and identified his biggest challenge: the need to change the mindset of the people in implementing projects and decisions.
DEC 26: Several states are struck by the Indian Ocean tsunami that was triggered by a massive earth-
quake off the coast of Sumatra. Pak Lah cancelled his leave to return to the country.

Year 2005

FEB 2: Abdullah talks of building Malays into “towering” personalities. He said the towering Malays would be well-rounded people who have developed a high intellect and value system, a successful career, good economic standing and a well-respected culture and religion.
APRIL 24: Malaysia and Singapore sign a Settlement Agreement, bringing an end to the dispute over the republic’s land reclamation in the Straits of Johor.
MAY 13: The Royal commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police recommends that an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission be set up to oversee the force and deal with misconduct.
JULY 21: Malaysia removes its currency peg to the US dollar for a managed float against a basket of trade-weighted currencies.
OCT 20: Abdullah’s wife Datin Paduka Seri Endon Mahmood, 64, dies after a long battle with breast cancer.

Year 2006

APRIL 12: Malaysia cancels the bridge to replace the Causeway.
OCT 22: Abduliah and Dr Mahathir meet for a face-to-face meeting for the first time since the latter’s
controversial criticism of the Prime Minister’s policies,
NOV 4: The South Johor Economic Region, officially named as Iskandar Development Region, was launched at Danga Bay in Johor Baru.

Year 2007

JAN 16: Abdullah launches the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010, a comprehensive five year plan that aimed to level the playing field in education for all Malaysians.
FEB 7: A special task force called Special Task Force to Facilitate Business, or Pemudah, to smooth
out kinks in the government delivery system and cut red tape, is formed.

MARCH 31: Abdullah tables the RM220bil Ninth Malaysia Plan in Parliament.
MAY 21: Abdullah announces a pay increase of between 7.5% and 35% for the country’s more than
one million government employees effective July 1.
JUNE 9: Abdullah marries Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah. JULY 30: Abdullah launches the RM177bil Northern Corridor Economic Region.
AUG 27: Abdullah launches the National Higher Education Strategic Plan and the National Higher Education Action Plan 2007-2010 aimed at producing better quality graduates.
SEPT 25: The Government announces the formation of an . independent panel to check the
authenticity of a video clip purportedly showing lawyer Datuk V. K. Lingam brokering the appointment and promotion of judges with a senior judge.
OCT 29: Pak Lah launches the East Coast Economic Region in Kuala Terengganu.
NOV 25: The Hindu Rights Action Force holds a demonstration, forcing the police to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd

Year 2008

FEB 11: Abdullah launches the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy in Bintulu.
FEB 13: Parliament is dissolved to pave the way for the 12th general election. Nomination day was fixed for Feb 24 and polling day on March 8.
MARCH 8: Barisan gets its worst election results in history, losing five states to the Opposition and
its two-thirds majority by winning only 140 parliamentary seats out of 222.
MARCH 10: Abdullah is sworn in as Prime Minister for a second term.
MARCH 14: Datuk Dr Md Isa Sabu is announced as the new Perlis Mentri Besar. Former MB Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim had been Barisan’s choice.
MARCH 18: Abdullah unveils a smaller Cabinet.
MARCH 22: Datuk Ahmad Said is announced as the new Mentri Besar of Terengganu instead of
Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, which was Barisan’s original choice.
APRIL 17: Abdullah announces a proposal to form a Judicial Appointments Commission and the giving of goodwill ex-gratia payments to six judges who were sacked during the 1988 judicial crisis.
MAY 9: The findings of the Royal Commission on the controversial Datuk V.K. Lingam showed that the clip was authentic. It identified former Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim as the person talking to Lingam on the telephone.
MAY 23:The International Court of Justice rules that Singapore has sovereignty over the disputed Pulau Batu Puteh while Malaysia owns Middle Rock.
JUNE 6: Abdullah announces cost cutting measures, aimed at saving RM2bil.
JULY 10: Abdullah announces that he will step down as Prime Minister in June 2010 and hand over power to Najib.
SEPT 10: Then Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin calls on Abdullah to rethink his transition plan to step down by 2010 as the time frame was too long.
SEPT 17: Abdullah and Najib swap portfolios as part of the transition plan. Abdullah is the new Defence
Minister while Najib has taken over the Finance portfolio. Sabah Progressive Party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee also announces that his party is pulling out of Barisan Nasional but will not be joining Pakatan Rakyat.
OCT 8: Abdullah says he will step down as Prime Minister and Umno president in March and support Najib to take over.

DEC 17: The Dewan Rakyat passes the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill.

Year 2009

MARCH 1: The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) comes into being.
MARCH 10: The Government unveiles a fisca~ stimulus package amounting to RM60bil, the largest ever, with an aim to prevent the countyr from slipping into a recession.

MARCH 23: The Witness Protection Bil is passed by the Dewan Rakyat.
APRIL: Abudllah has an audience with Yang di Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin to seek consent to resign as Prime Minister and for Najib to take over.