Mahathir says he'll quit all posts

Mahathir says he'll quit all posts

MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad vowed on Thursday that he will give up all government and party posts when he retires later this year and not seek re-election to Parliament.

The declaration, made during an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, marked the first that Mahathir ruled out retaining any formal political role since he announced plans to retire during a conference last year of his United Malays National Organization.

Mahathir, who has led this Southeast Asian country since 198l, said that he expected his views would still be sought. But he reinforced previous statements that he would not seek a role as a so-called senior minister, a title adopted by Lee Kuan Yew when he stepped down as premier in neighboring Singapore.

Mahathir said that he expected his party to regain ground lost in 1999 to the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party when the next general elections, due by November 2004, are held under his current deputy and anointed successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. --AP