Anwar Ibrahim fired from all govt positions

Anwar Ibrahim fired from all govt positions

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was fired on Wednesday after months of economic policy differences with the prime minister.

A three-paragraph statement issued by the prime minister's department said Anwar had been removed of all other positions, including that of finance minister.

Anwar's firing came after weeks of rumors about his being fired or quitting, always followed by emphatic denials.

Dozens of Anwar supporters flocked to his residence Wednesday night, pushing through a horde of reporters who had been camped outside his house all afternoon.

Three truckloads of riot police were deployed around the nearby residence of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, apparently to prevent protests by Anwar supporters.

"He didn't want to resign, so he was sacked," said a close aide to Mahathir. The aide, who asked not to be identified, said Anwar's successor had not yet been chosen.

The aide said the Supreme Council of the ruling United Malays National Organization would meet Thursday to discuss Anwar's position in the party. Anwar is UMNO vice president.

Lim Kit Siang, the opposition leader in Parliament, said the move would push the Southeast Asian country into further chaos during the regional economic crisis.

"The sacking of the deputy prime minister will plunge the country into an unprecedented political crisis and turmoil," said Lim. "Unless Dr. Mahathir can convincingly establish the legitimacy of the drastic action."

The 51-year-old Anwar, for years seen as Mahathir's successor, had been left out of economic decisions for months after differing with his boss on the course for economic recovery.

Malaysia's currency, the ringgit, and the markets have plummeted since the Asian economic crisis broke out in July 1997.

Anwar and the central bank had preferred high interest rates and austerity measures to control Malaysia's sliding currency, the ringgit. Mahathir and his chief economic aide, Daim Zainuddin, have pushed through a policy of greater government spending and lower rates to boost the economy.

When Bank Negara governor Ahmad Mohamed Don and his deputy, Fong Weng Phak, quit last week in opposition to Mahathir's plans to fix the ringgit at 3.8 to the U.S. dollar, the writing for Anwar was on the wall.

On Tuesday, when Mahathir and central bank officials announced sweeping currency exchange controls, Anwar was nowhere to be seen.