GoodBye Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad And Rafidah Aziz

March 18 (Bloomberg) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ousted Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz and thinned his cabinet in an attempt to woo back voters after the ruling coalition's worst ever election showing.

Muhyiddin Yassin, former agriculture minister, replaces Rafidah, a cabinet member since 1977, Abdullah, 68, said today at his office in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur. He retained Najib Razak as deputy premier and defense minister.

Abdullah, facing demands to step down from party members including former Premier Mahathir Mohamad, is bringing in fresh blood to rebuild his National Front coalition and win back investor confidence. While the reshuffle may muffle some critics, Abdullah reiterated today he has his party's support and pledged to continue development projects started in his first term.

KUALA LUMPUR 19 Mac -- Bekas Menteri Hal Ehwal Dalam Negeri, Datuk Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad meletakkan semua jawatannya dalam parti berkuat kuasa hari ini.

Menurut Radzi, beliau berbuat demikian kerana tidak mampu lagi bekerja dan perletakan jawatan itu direstui oleh Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Radzi ialah Setiausaha Agung UMNO dan BN.

Jelasnya, beliau bagaimanapun akan tetap berkhidmat sebagai Ahli Parlimen Kangar kerana rakyat masih memerlukan perkhidmatannya. -- Utusan.