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.