Opposition apologizes for pig cartoon

Opposition apologizes for pig cartoon

MALAYSIA: Threatened with a government investigation, the
fundamentalist Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party has publicly apologized
for publishing an editorial cartoon likening Prime Minister
Mahathir Mohamad to a pig.

The cartoon, a split-panel that compared a pig to a caricature
of Mahathir, enraged the prime minister's ruling United Malays
National Organization on the eve of his final appearances at a
party conference before he retires in Oct. after 22 years in
power.

Rank-and-file members have called for the opposition Islamic
party's twice monthly newspaper, Harakah, to be banned for
publishing the cartoon. Pigs are considered unclean in Islam. The
two parties compete for votes among Malaysia's majority ethnic
Malay Muslims.

Harakah editor Zulkifli Sulong issued a two-paragraph
statement on late Tuesday saying that the paper was "retracting a
cartoon" and that "Harakah apologizes to any parties which found
the cartoon offensive." It was unclear if the apology would be
enough. --AP