Mahathir endorses Anwar as successor

Mahathir endorses Anwar as successor

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad endorsed his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, as his eventual
successor after a magazine hinted at a conspiracy to topple
Anwar, the national Bernama news agency said yesterday.

"I will abide by the wishes of the party, which has
chosen...Anwar as my successor, and I am giving him 100 percent
support," Bernama quoted Mahathir as saying.

The two men have often been viewed as potential rivals for the
leadership of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the
dominant member of the ruling coalition, in party elections set
for 1999.

Asiaweek magazine reported in its Nov. 15 issue that Anwar's
political future was being threatened by the return of Tengku
Razaleigh Hamzah, a former rival of Mahathir. Razaleigh recently
disbanded his opposition Spirit of 46 party to rejoin UMNO.