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Malaysian Election Commission Signs Up Workers

>From The AOL-MyNews
26th July  1999

Malaysian Election Commission Signs Up Workers
Bloomberg News

Kuala Lumpur, July 26 (Bloomberg) -- Malaysia's Election Commission last week started signing up government workers as temporary staff to
help conduct the country's elections, a sign polls may be called by
November.

The Election Commission, which conducts the elections, sent out forms
asking school teachers to help run polling centers, a state employee
said. The commission's spokesman couldn't be reached for comment.

The commission usually uses schools and community halls as polling
centers, fueling speculation it may hold the elections during school
holidays in September or in November.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad must hold elections before his
government's five-year term expires in April 2000. News of the
election could boost stocks on optimism about stepped up government
spending on roads, schools and other infrastructure.

``Any date is a good date now,'' said Mohd. Nasir Ali, chief executive
at brokerage house Kuala Lumpur City Securities Sdn. ``The economies
in the (Southeast Asian) region have started expanding again; so is
Malaysia's.''

Mahathir, who has been prime minister since 1981, has pushed interest
rates lower and prodded banks to make loans more easily available to
boost the economy. The Malaysian economy shrank 6.7 percent last year,
after expanding at an average of 8 percent a year in the decade
through 1997.

The economy is also expected to beat the government's forecast of a 1
percent expansion this year. Last year, when jailed Anwar Ibrahim was
finance minister, the government had to lower its forecasts half a
dozen times.

Mahathir repeatedly pointed to the surge in stock prices and the
increase in car sales as signs his government's measures to revive the
economy has worked.

The benchmark stock Composite Index has doubled in the past 12 months,
making it the world's third-best performing index. Vehicle sales in
Malaysia rose to a 17-month high in April as they expect job cuts to
slow and economic activities to pick up.

While official election campaigning hasn't started, Mahathir is
visiting various states and holding large gatherings.

Last week, he visited the eastern state of Kelantan, one of the
poorest and the only one of the country's 13 states controlled by an
opposition party. He promised to build a university in the state and
also explore for oil in the shores off Kelantan.

Schools break for a week beginning Sept. 6, and for seven weeks
beginning Nov. 20. Malaysia's official election campaign typically
lasts less than a month.
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