Mahathir cautions of complacency in polls

Mahathir cautions of complacency in polls

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned his ruling coalition yesterday against complacency as he launched his election manifesto for this month's national election.

"There is a danger of complacency in our campaign as many say we will get a landslide victory. We have to guard against that," Mahathir told reporters in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur in his bid for his fourth consecutive term.

"My experience as a candidate who has won and lost shows that no one can predict an election result. We have to work hard to win," he said. Mahathir lost in his Kedah state constituency in 1969 elections.

Political analysts say Mahathir's 14-member National Front coalition should easily maintain its two-thirds majority in the polls on April 24 and 25 against a divided opposition and with Malaysia experiencing unprecedented prosperity.

The economy has been growing at eight percent for the last seven years and the main opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) concedes it is all but impossible to beat the coalition.

The resource-strapped DAP says the country needs an opposition and voters should ensure it is not wiped out.

Mahathir is appealing to voters to maintain his two-thirds majority in the new 192-seat parliament -- the margin needed to pass constitutional amendments.

"We have the vision to continue development and progress," he said when launching the National Front's manifesto and election slogan: "Vision, Justice and Efficiency".

Mahathir said his coalition is making reasonable promises, unlike the opposition which has vowed political, economic and social reforms together with a series of tax concessions.

"The opposition can promise a lot because they know they have a slim chance of winning," he said.

Mahathir said his government is guiding Malaysia towards becoming a fully-industrialized country in the next 25 years, a goal dubbed "Vision 2020".

"The National Front government will ensure an average seven percent growth over the next 25 years, turning the per capita income from some 9,000 ringgit (US$3,600) now to 40,000 ringgit ($16,000) in 2020, more if the dollar drops," Mahathir said.

Mahathir's coalition is backed by all the main newspapers, as well as the corporate community.

The opposition has criticized the short official campaign period -- nine days -- and their lack of access to television.

They have complained that Malaysia's two television stations are giving extensive coverage to Mahathir and members of his cabinet and their attacks on the opposition, while they have been denied access.

The government has banned all parties from campaigning on television, but is allocating time for them on radio. The Information ministry says television coverage of Mahathir and his ministers is strictly for news value.

Mahathir said the National Front will issue an additional manifesto for Kelantan, the only opposition-ruled state.

The National Front lost all 39 state seats in the 1990 elections to a coalition comprising the fundamentalist Moslem Pan-Malaysian Islamic (PAS) party and the Spirit of '46 (Semangat 46) Malay party.