Mahathir seeks support in Sabah

Mahathir seeks support in Sabah

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad urged Malaysians on Friday to support his ruling coalition, saying it had brought prosperity and ensured equal opportunities for all races.

Mahathir, on a two-day visit to the eastern timber-rich state of Sabah, said cooperation between various parties in the National Front coalition had ensured that the interests of all races were protected.

Mahathir, quoted by the official Bernama news agency, was speaking at a meet-the-people session during a nationwide tour to bolster political support.

He said that under Malaysia's multi-ethnic society no majority community tried to monopolize everything or oppress the minority group.

"This is how the coalition takes up the cause of all the races and of all the religions," said Mahathir, prime minister for the past 18 years.

Mahathir, 73, is president of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant party in the National Front coalition that has ruled since independence in 1957.

Malays make up 54 percent of the 22 million population. The remainder are Chinese, Indians and indigenous people.

Besides UMNO which represents the Malay majority, the National Front's other senior partners are the Malaysian Chinese Association and the Malaysian Indian Congress.

Mahathir said a prosperous and riot-free Malaysia would not suffice until there was full cooperation among the various races in all fields.

"We can't afford to be fragmented. We must uphold effective co-existence through the coalition," he said.

He was speaking a day after the 30th anniversary of race riots against the ethnic Chinese population in which up to 200 people died.

Mahathir said teamwork between the various ethnic-based parties in the ruling coalition had prompted opposition parties to imitate such an alliance.

The political pact that the opposition Parti Islam Semalaysia and the Democratic Action Party (DAP) had established was only a temporary arrangement to secure victory in the next general election, he said.

Mahathir has attacked the concept of a "Malaysian Malaysia" promoted by the DAP. This calls for the creation of a new form of politics based on justice, freedom, democracy and good governance.