Opposition, rights groups urge Mahathir to resign

Opposition, rights groups urge Mahathir to resign

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Opposition and human rights groups urged Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Sunday to step down or hold early polls after an outbreak of political violence, but admitted the veteran leader would fight to stay in power.

"Mahathir must resign, or if he does not want to, he must hold elections immediately," said Syed Husin Ali, president of the Malaysian People's Party, a member of the opposition coalition Malaysian People's Justice Movement (Gerak).

"The problem now is that there is no justice in the system and the person responsible for that is Dr. Mahathir," Ali told a news conference.

"He should step down with grace, but he won't. He will die with his boots on to protect his children and cronies."

Mahathir, who has rejected previous calls to resign, condemned those involved in Saturday's violent street rioting in which protesters threw rocks and petrol bombs at police.

"The groups calling themselves reformists seeking to uphold justice are the ones who are breaking the law," he was quoted as saying by the national news agency Bernama in the northern resort island of Langkawi.

Mahathir said the rioters purportedly sought to preserve the rule of law whereas they themselves were indeed the law-breakers.

No one benefited from the incident but instead the country's image suffered, he said.

Mahathir, who is also home minister, branded the rioters cowards for using women and children as shields during the protests.

Unrest first broke out in September when Mahathir, in power since 1981, sacked and arrested deputy prime minister and finance minister Anwar Ibrahim. General elections are due in 2000.

Mahfuz Omar, deputy youth chief of the Moslem opposition Parti Islam Semalaysia (PAS), said: "One way to reduce the tension is to hold elections and let the people decide the future direction of the political system."

A leading human rights group issued the first call for Mahathir's resignation early on Sunday following the fierce overnight street clashes between police and demonstrators demanding reform.

"The prime minister, who is also home minister, must accept full responsibility for having totally mishandled the situation," said the Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram).

"He cannot ignore the legitimate discontent of the people. We call upon the prime minister to immediately resign so that a general election may be held."

National news agency Bernama citing the police said 241 people were arrested during Saturday's violence. Hospital staff said about a dozen demonstrators were injured, while police said at least one officer was hurt.

Violence erupted on Saturday when police armed with water cannon and tear gas broke up an illegal pro-Anwar assembly at a downtown shopping area.

The move was followed by hours of street skirmishes in a mainly Moslem neighborhood between protesters and police.

Top opposition MP Lim Kit Siang of the Democratic Action Party urged calm on both sides and called for an "independent and public inquiry" into the violence in Malay-dominated Kampong Baru.

Every Malaysian "must be conscious of the need to maintain a high degree of discipline to maintain law and order, which can be quite fragile in a multi-racial society," he said.

Anwar, once seen as Mahathir's political heir, has been charged with 10 counts of corruption and sexual misconduct, which he denies. His trial on four of the corruption charges begins Nov. 2.

Apart from being responsible as home minister for the police, Mahathir has also taken over the finance ministry from Anwar.