Jostling under way to succeed Mahathir

Jostling under way to succeed Mahathir

By Nelson Graves

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): The race to succeed Malaysian Prime
Minister Mahathir Mohamad is under way, and a former adversary
who spent years in the political wilderness is building momentum.

Mahathir told party faithful on Sunday he was under pressure
to choose a deputy prime minister to replace his former heir-
apparent Anwar Ibrahim, sacked in September and now facing
criminal charges which he denies.

Mahathir had wanted to keep the post vacant until his United
Malays National Organization (UMNO) chooses a deputy party
president to succeed Anwar at party elections set for mid-1999.

Since Malaysia won independence from Britain in 1957, the
prime minister has always been UMNO chief and the deputy party
leader has traditionally been deputy prime minister.

But Mahathir, who turns 73 on Dec. 20, has been forced to
reconsider his earlier decision, which was to wait until mid-
1999.

The prime minister, who had heart bypass surgery in 1989,
cited familiar concerns over a smooth transition of power should
his health deteriorate.

"I have made a statement that I will wait until next year when
selection is made, but many have different opinions," he told
reporters on Sunday.

"That is, we should not wait too long because if something
were to happen to me, what will happen? So, that are the worries
of the people."

As he spoke, dozens of policemen and riot police ringed UMNO
headquarters in a reminder of the sporadic anti-government street
demonstrations that have taken place in the capital since Anwar's
sacking. There was no protest on Sunday.

Political analysts and diplomats said criticism among UMNO
rank and file over Anwar's sacking no doubt contributed to
Mahathir's decision to consider picking a deputy.

They cite anecdotal evidence from UMNO divisions showing a
worrisome loss of support since the charismatic Anwar was ousted,
arrested and produced in court with a black eye.

Mahathir acknowledged to foreign fund managers last week that
there were worries over succession now that the erstwhile prime-
minister-in-waiting, Anwar, had been sidelined.

He said the selection of a new deputy could restore confidence
in Malaysia's political stability, which until Anwar's fall from
power and the imposition of capital controls had been one of the
nation's trump cards in drawing foreign investment.

Asked what type of person he would tap as deputy, Mahathir
responded with trademark sarcasm: "Exact replica of myself if it
is possible."

No one expects the irrepressible Mahathir to find a clone
after 17 years in power.

Instead, party members were sifting through his weekend
remarks to find a clue to his thinking. For some, a comment at
the end of his speech on Sunday stood out.

"Remember, in politics there are no permanent friends and no
permanent enemies. There is no certainty that we are going to
support the same candidates in future elections. We have a
proverb which says, 'The shore will change according to the
tide.'"

That comment, some said, could apply to Tengku Razaleigh
Hamzah, once Mahathir's political nemesis.

"There has been a wave of support for Razaleigh," a diplomat
said. A businessman noted that stocks linked to Razaleigh's name
including diversified Malayan United Industries Bhd (MUI) surged
last Friday on talk he might be named.

Razaleigh, 62, once served in Mahathir's government but the
two men became bitter rivals and engaged in a fierce contest in
1987 that split the politically dominant ethnic Malays.

A former finance minister and a member of a royal family,
Razaleigh joined forces with other opposition parties to try to
topple Mahathir in the 1990 general election. Razaleigh failed,
and later rejoined UMNO in 1996.

Analysts said Razaleigh appeared to have several advantages
over the two other front-runners, Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi and Education Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Razaleigh was head of oil giant Petronas and Bank Bumiputra
before serving as finance minister, giving him a solid grounding
in the economy. "He is well liked among the ethnic Chinese
business community," a local business leader said.

As he is not in the cabinet, he has not had to engage in
bashing Anwar, giving him an edge among UMNO members
uncomfortable with the ousted minister's fate.

Razaleigh is from the northeastern state of Kelantan, ruled by
the Islamic fundamentalist PAS party. It is the only state not
governed by Mahathir's coalition.

"He carries the princely title 'Tengku', and has great
personal charm," a businessman said.

Said a Western diplomat: "He has serious quantities of
personal wealth. A cash injection into UMNO's coffers would not
go amiss."