Mahathir's illness unsettles Malaysian politics

Mahathir's illness unsettles Malaysian politics

By Nelson Graves

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's
latest illness has stirred anxiety in financial markets and
revived speculation over Malaysia's political future once Asia's
longest serving leader no longer holds power.

Mahathir, 73, was in the National Heart Institute last Friday
for the sixth day being treated for bronchitis.

Mahathir's second-in-command, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi, sought to reassure concerned citizens.

"There is no need to worry over the prime minister's
condition. We should all continue to pray for his speedier
recovery so that he could resume his duties," Abdullah said on
Wednesday. Aides said last Thursday that Mahathir was stable.
But a combination of factors kept the rumor mill in overdrive.

The choice of hospitals -- the National Heart Institute --
raised eyebrows as soon as the Prime Minister's Office disclosed
on Sunday that Mahathir was being treated for a lung infection.

Aides said the choice was logical because he had a bypass
operation in 1989 and his regular doctors are at the institute.

The absence of regular medical bulletins created a vacuum
which rumor mongers eagerly filled. The Prime Minister's Office
has released two bulletins in six days -- the first almost 48
hours after he was admitted and the second three days later.

While aides have answered questions, there has been little
information on the nature of the illness or the treatment.

Even statements meant to reassure citizens have begged
questions. Officials said Mahathir was up and walking on
Thursday. Did that mean he had been bed-ridden for some time?

Mahathir typically leads a hectic schedule of dawn-to-dusk
appointments, exhausting aides and reporters who follow him.

He is his own public relations manager, making public comments
on any range of topics. Even senior ministers are often reluctant
to take a public stand, knowing the prime minister could give his
own views on the very topic any time.

The sudden absence of Mahathir's forceful personality left a
gaping hole on Malaysia's political stage which the more soft-
spoken Abdullah was forced to try to fill.

Normally Mahathir revels in contact with supporters. The fact
he was not receiving any visitors except family and very senior
officials raised eyebrows.

Aides said doctors wanted him to get a complete rest and
needed to suppress his characteristic urge to get up and go.

But with the prime minister out of sight for nearly a week,
speculation inevitably swirled.

The stock market dived on Wednesday afternoon on rumors that
Mahathir was seriously ill. A medical bulletin saying Mahathir
was responding well to treatment quelled the rammers.

One senior diplomat said he was puzzled by Mahathir's last-
minute decision to go on a haj pilgrimage to Mecca recently,
forcing him to cancel engagements.

"We are trying to understand the significance of his decision
to go to Mecca," the diplomat said, surmising that the prospect
of elections by June 2000 may have swayed Mahathir.

Residents said pilgrims commonly come down with bad colds upon
returning to humid Malaysia from dry, dusty Mecca.

Behind the markets' jitters were concern that Malaysia could
be in for a prolonged period of uncertainty if Asia's longest
serving leader somehow no longer held power.

"It would mean a clean slate in Malaysia," an envoy said.

Mahathir recently said he would like to find a clone before
stepping down after 18 years in power. But he now has his fourth
deputy since assuming power, and Abdullah, while praised for his
"Mr Clean" image, is seen as lacking Mahathir's charisma.

Abdullah, appointed deputy premier in January, has not had
time to consolidate his position as prime-minister-in-waiting.

Education Minister Najib Abdul Razak and former finance
minister Razaleigh Hamzah, overlooked when Mahathir tapped
Abdullah, could make a play if the chance presented itself.

The only politician able to match Mahathir's nationwide
appeal, sacked minister Anwar Ibrahim, faces a potential jail
term. The verdict in his corruption trial is set for April 14.

"Anwar's prospects could be wholly different if the political
situation changed," one diplomat said. "But Mahathir always seems
to rebound."