Opposition woos Mahathir, but son defies his call

Opposition woos Mahathir, but son defies his call
Malaysia Sun
Wednesday 21st May, 2008
(IANS)

The initial response to the rebellion by Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad who quit the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) has been poor. Most lawmakers, including his son, have ignored his call that they follow suit.

While UMNO lawmakers reposed their faith in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership, only 156 members in Kedah state, to which Mahathir belongs, have followed him out of the party, reported The Sun newspaper.

Mahathir's son Mukhriz Mahathir, 44, a first-term lawmaker, said after a meeting with Badawi that his father had quit UMNO 'out of love' but that he would not do so.

However, on Tuesday, Mahathir received an invite from the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and the Party Keadalan Rakyat (PKR) of former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, whom he had sacked and jailed a decade ago. The two opposition parties have gained strength in this March's general election and are threatening to pull down the Badawi government.

Mahathir has thus to choose between his hand picked successor Badawi and his old foe Ibrahim. Political analysts have said a Mahathir rebellion has the potential of boosting Ibrahim's political prospects.

Ibrahim's PKR has the support of 82 lawmakers and needs just 30 more to cross over from the Badawi-led ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) to form a government, media reports have said.

While Ibrahim has gloated over the UMNO crisis, his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who leads the parliamentary opposition said the whole issue was 'just about UMNO's internal politics' and it showed that the party had 'no direction'.

'We, however, welcome it if it makes our party stronger and they (UMNO members) are also welcome to join us,' she was quoted by The Star as saying.

Thursday May 22, 2008

Umno accepts Dr Mahathir's resignation

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB and FLORENCE A. SAMY

But Umno leaders hope Mahathir will return some day

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno has accepted the resignation of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad from the party but hopes that he will return “some day”.

The decision was announced by the party deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak after a three-and-a-half-hour special supreme council meeting chaired by Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

At the press conference, which started after midnight, Abdullah asked his deputy to announce the decision on Dr Mahathir.

Najib said the supreme council had taken note of Dr Mahathir's official letter to leave the party.

“We have accepted the decision because it is his desire to leave the party. But we hope he will return one day,” he said.

To a question, Najib said he was prepared to meet with Dr Mahathir to discuss the resignation although “we (Umno) know his position and his stand”.

On Monday, the former Umno president and ex-prime minister dropped a bombshell at a forum when he announced that he was quitting the party.

He said he had lost confidence in Abdullah's ability to lead the party and the country and that Umno would fall apart if the present leader continued to be at the helm.

Dr Mahathir said he would only return to Umno when Abdullah stepped down as party leader and urged other party members to do the same to pressure the leader to resign.

However, the supreme council on Wednesday endorsed Abdullah's continued leadership.

On when Abdullah would hand over power, Najib who has been named as the successor said that it would be between the two of them.

He also said that the party did not expect an exodus of members out of the party.

“Our members are still with us. If they have any problems, we will solve it within the party,” he added.

Najib said the party had not received any other official resignation letter from members.

On Umno Youth exco member Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir's renewed call for Abdullah to step down immediately, Najib said the supreme council did not discuss the matter.

He said, however, any action taken by the management committee, which he heads, against Mukhriz would be guided by the views expressed by the Umno Youth exco.

The supreme council also decided that it would create a special political “rehabilitation” plan to move the party forward.

“We will have a special meeting to firm up the plan which would set Umno on a footing to move earnestly and with determination so that it will continue to gain the trust of the people,” he said.