Mahathir asked to crack down on opposition group<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Picking up on a lead from Prime
\nMinister Mahathir Mohamad, officials from Malaysia's ruling party
\non Friday demanded that the government crack down harder on a
\npowerful fundamentalist Islamic opposition group.<\/p>\n
Malaysia's ruling party on Friday debated ways to reverse its
\ndeclining fortunes after Mahathir warned members to shape up or
\nrisk losing the next election.<\/p>\n
Delegates from the 2.9-million-member United Malays National
\nOrganization (UMNO), which has held power since 1957, were
\nchewing over Mahathir's outspoken speech on Thursday to their
\nannual meeting.<\/p>\n
Mahathir, who marks 20 years in power next month, castigated
\nfellow Malays for laziness, greed, ingratitude towards UMNO and
\nsquandering opportunities under an affirmative action program.<\/p>\n
He also accused unspecified foreign powers and their media of
\nhating Malaysia and of supporting the opposition to topple his
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
UMNO lost 22 parliamentary seats in the 1999 polls as many
\nMalays abandoned it -- partly due to anger over the sacking and
\njailing of the premier's popular former deputy Anwar Ibrahim.<\/p>\n
Delegates to the general assembly of the UMNO urged the
\ngovernment to jail leaders of the Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party -
\nincluding Muslim clerics - using a tough security law which
\nallows for indefinite detention without trial.<\/p>\n
Such a move would significantly harden the government's line
\nagainst the Islamic party, which has made strong inroads into
\nUMNO's supporter base among Malaysia's predominant Muslims but
\nwhich has been protected from crackdowns on other opposition
\ngroups because fears of a backlash.<\/p>\n
Rashid Abdul Ngah, an UMNO leader from one of two states
\ncontrolled by the Islamic party, said the government should not
\nbalk at targeting the clerics, known as ulamaks, who lead it.<\/p>\n
\"They have twisted Islam for their own interests and they are
\nresponsible for many of the negative developments in the
\ncountry,\" Rashid said during debate at the conference. \"The
\ngovernment should not hesitate to use the ISA against these
\nulamaks.\"<\/p>\n
It is the first time Mahathir's party has urged him to use the
\nInternal Security Act against the Islamic party.<\/p>\n
Mahathir, who was present during the debate, did not
\nimmediately respond.<\/p>\n
Rashid's demand comes two weeks after six opposition activists
\nwere sent to a prison camp for up to two years under the act for
\nallegedly planning violent protests to topple Mahathir. All six
\nare linked to the National Justice Party, another opposition
\ngroup, which accuses the government of ordering the arrests to
\nstifle political dissent.<\/p>\n
Mahathir has attacked the Islamic party since UMNO lost ethnic
\nMalay votes to it in 1999 general elections, and accuses it of
\nabusing Islam for its political agenda.<\/p>\n
In his speech on Thursday to open the UMNO meeting, Mahathir
\naccused the Islamic group of teaching students at Islamic schools
\nto hate the government, and promising voters heaven if they
\nsupport the party in elections.<\/p>\n
Mahathir said the Islamic party was \"a traitor to the
\nlanguage, race and religion\" of Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Despite his strong accusations, Mahathir has refrained from
\nusing the security act against the Islamic party. Observers say
\nsuch a move could be dangerous as it would not go down well with
\nMuslim Malays whom the ruling party is trying to woo.<\/p>\n
But on Friday, pressure was growing on Mahathir to act.<\/p>\n
Ibrahim Ali, an UMNO leader from another state ruled by the
\nIslamic party, asked Mahathir when he was going to \"bomb\" the
\nopposition party.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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