Polarized Malaysia plays waiting game<\/p>\n
By Nelson Graves<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Rumblings of discontent within his
\npolitical base have convinced Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
\nMohamad he must extend a nationwide tour before calling long
\nanticipated general elections.<\/p>\n
Mahathir, at the tail end of a four-month tour of Malaysia's
\n14 states, said last Saturday he would return to several states
\none or two more times before holding the first general elections
\nsince his multi-ethnic coalition won a landslide in 1995.<\/p>\n
\"We need not hold an election before the expiry of the five-
\nyear term,\" he said.<\/p>\n
While parliament's term expires in mid-2000, Mahathir has been
\nexpected to capitalize on a resurgent economy and call early
\npolls.<\/p>\n
But the 73-year-old Mahathir has had difficulty building
\nmomentum despite the economic rebound. Even from behind bars, his
\nformer deputy Anwar Ibrahim remains a formidable obstacle and a
\nmagnet for a large section of Mahathir's Moslem Malay base.<\/p>\n
The Chinese community, which has provided Mahathir with
\npivotal support since he came to power in 1981, is showing signs
\nof disgruntlement.<\/p>\n
Without opinion surveys it is anyone's guess how the
\nelectorate will vote. It is clear, however, that Anwar's
\nallegation that he was poisoned by political opponents has thrust
\nhim back onto the front pages and bucked up his supporters.<\/p>\n
Several thousand Anwar backers took to the streets twice this
\nmonth in the first anti-government protests since the ex-finance
\nminister was sentenced in April to six years in jail for
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
In an unprecedented move, members of his wife's new opposition
\nparty, Parti Keadilan Nasional, last Saturday delivered memoranda
\nto the sultans of several states asking that an independent
\ncommission be set up to investigate Anwar's allegations that
\narsenic had been found in his urine.<\/p>\n
The government has promised an investigation. But the
\ninability of the police force last year to ascertain that it was
\nthe ex-police chief who hit Anwar, blindfolded and handcuffed, in
\ncustody has lent impetus to demands that an independent panel
\ninvestigate the poisoning allegation.<\/p>\n
Forced to respond to opposition allegations, Deputy Prime
\nMinister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi denied last Saturday that Anwar
\nwas kept in a dark narrow room and given stale food.<\/p>\n
\"We are not as bad as that,\" Abdullah said.<\/p>\n
A political analyst who asked not to be identified said: \"This
\narsenic case has set things back for Mahathir. Anwar is back on
\nthe radar screen.\"<\/p>\n
In a possible blow to the government, the key prosecution
\nwitness in Anwar's sodomy trial was accused of sexual misconduct
\nlast week.<\/p>\n
While the charges against the Anwar family's former driver may
\nnot have a direct impact on the ongoing trial, they could
\nundermine the credibility of the government among the electorate.<\/p>\n
Ethnic Chinese, upset over a bank merger plan which critics
\nsay would hit Chinese interests, are showing signs of irritation.<\/p>\n
A 17-point declaration detailing grievances with the
\ngovernment has won the support of more than 1,800 Chinese
\nassociations. The document cites concerns over \"corruption,
\ndeviations in the implementation of government policies, lack of
\naccountability and transparency, bias of the media\" as well as
\n\"police abuse of power and brutality\".<\/p>\n
While the biggest Chinese organizations backing Mahathir have
\nnot signed the declaration, the head of the Malaysia Chinese
\nAssociation -- a pillar of support for the prime minister -- said
\nlast Saturday he would brief the cabinet this week on the issue.<\/p>\n
Still, even opposition leaders acknowledge they are fighting
\nan uphill battle against Mahathir's National Front coalition,
\nwhich has led the government since independence in 1957.<\/p>\n
A stockbroker noted the government had recently awarded
\nbonuses to large numbers of civil servants. \"The machinery is
\nworking very well. They will definitely win. The money is slowly
\ngetting out,\" he said.<\/p>\n
A leader of the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP),
\nsupported largely by urban Chinese, acknowledged the challenge
\nthe party faces in aligning with PAS, which is committed to an
\nIslamic state. \"It is difficult,\" the DAP member said.<\/p>\n
While Mahathir might want to prolong the campaign into 2000 to
\nexhaust the opposition, an extended stretch might backfire.<\/p>\n
\"If they drag it on too long, it will give the opposition time
\nto sort out its problems,\" a Chinese journalist said, predicting
\nMahathir would choose to go to the polls in November after the
\ngovernment presents a voter-friendly budget.<\/p>",
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