Anwar supporters defect to UMNO

Anwar supporters defect to UMNO

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): About 50 members of jailed politician Anwar
Ibrahim's opposition party from his hometown in northern Malaysia
defected to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's ruling group on
Monday, a news report said.

The defections in Permatang Pauh, which Anwar represented in
Parliament for 16 years until he was sacked by Mahathir in 1998,
were the latest in a long line of desertions to hit the National
Justice Party in recent months.

The rift in the new and fragile party became public when two
top leaders openly traded accusations last month and hundreds of
members reportedly left. Anwar's wife, Azizah Ismail, who heads
the party and represents Permatang Pauh in Parliament, has tried
to stay out of the internal strife.

The defectors met on Monday with Deputy Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and promised to support the United Malays
National Organization (UMNO), which has dominated Malaysian
politics since the Southeast Asian nation became independent in
1957, the national news agency, Bernama, said.