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.