Mahathir asked to crack down on opposition group

Mahathir asked to crack down on opposition group

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Picking up on a lead from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, officials from Malaysia's ruling party on Friday demanded that the government crack down harder on a powerful fundamentalist Islamic opposition group.

Malaysia's ruling party on Friday debated ways to reverse its declining fortunes after Mahathir warned members to shape up or risk losing the next election.

Delegates from the 2.9-million-member United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which has held power since 1957, were chewing over Mahathir's outspoken speech on Thursday to their annual meeting.

Mahathir, who marks 20 years in power next month, castigated fellow Malays for laziness, greed, ingratitude towards UMNO and squandering opportunities under an affirmative action program.

He also accused unspecified foreign powers and their media of hating Malaysia and of supporting the opposition to topple his government.

UMNO lost 22 parliamentary seats in the 1999 polls as many Malays abandoned it -- partly due to anger over the sacking and jailing of the premier's popular former deputy Anwar Ibrahim.

Delegates to the general assembly of the UMNO urged the government to jail leaders of the Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party - including Muslim clerics - using a tough security law which allows for indefinite detention without trial.

Such a move would significantly harden the government's line against the Islamic party, which has made strong inroads into UMNO's supporter base among Malaysia's predominant Muslims but which has been protected from crackdowns on other opposition groups because fears of a backlash.

Rashid Abdul Ngah, an UMNO leader from one of two states controlled by the Islamic party, said the government should not balk at targeting the clerics, known as ulamaks, who lead it.

"They have twisted Islam for their own interests and they are responsible for many of the negative developments in the country," Rashid said during debate at the conference. "The government should not hesitate to use the ISA against these ulamaks."

It is the first time Mahathir's party has urged him to use the Internal Security Act against the Islamic party.

Mahathir, who was present during the debate, did not immediately respond.

Rashid's demand comes two weeks after six opposition activists were sent to a prison camp for up to two years under the act for allegedly planning violent protests to topple Mahathir. All six are linked to the National Justice Party, another opposition group, which accuses the government of ordering the arrests to stifle political dissent.

Mahathir has attacked the Islamic party since UMNO lost ethnic Malay votes to it in 1999 general elections, and accuses it of abusing Islam for its political agenda.

In his speech on Thursday to open the UMNO meeting, Mahathir accused the Islamic group of teaching students at Islamic schools to hate the government, and promising voters heaven if they support the party in elections.

Mahathir said the Islamic party was "a traitor to the language, race and religion" of Malaysia.

Despite his strong accusations, Mahathir has refrained from using the security act against the Islamic party. Observers say such a move could be dangerous as it would not go down well with Muslim Malays whom the ruling party is trying to woo.

But on Friday, pressure was growing on Mahathir to act.

Ibrahim Ali, an UMNO leader from another state ruled by the Islamic party, asked Mahathir when he was going to "bomb" the opposition party.