UMNO official condemns Al-Arqam's founder

UMNO official condemns Al-Arqam's founder

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): A senior member of Malaysia's ruling party yesterday condemned a local Islamic leader, living under self- exile in Thailand, for claiming to be more popular than Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and proposing a national referendum to prove it.

Isa Abdul Samad, a senior leader of Mahathir's United Malays National Organization (UMNO), said Ashaari's remarks reflected his arrogance and demonstrated the fear which he actually has for Mahathir, the Bernama news agency reported.

"There is no need for a referendum. The suggestion was made actually to conceal the fear and anxiety Ashaari experienced after Arqam's deviationist teachings were exposed," the agency quoted Isa, chief minister of the southern Negri Sembilan state, as saying.

Ashaari Muhammad told AFP in Chiengmai Saturday the Mahathir was bent on banning his controversial Islamic missionary, the Al- Arqam, because the premier was getting jittery at his growing prominence and of the fact the movement was based in Kuala Lumpur.

Ashaari founded Al-Arqam in 1968 and led its growth into a powerful missionary force with a strong economic base and branches in 15 countries, including Thailand.

The self-styled Islamic leader was living in relative isolation in Thailand for the past seven years until Malaysian authorities accused him in June this year of turning Al-Arqam into a security threat.

Officials said Al-Arqam had become deviationist and formed an armed suicide squad to defend its beliefs while Ashaari was planning to takeover the country from Mahathir.

Isa said yesterday that Ashaari feared he was losing control of his followers in Malaysia and had proposed a referendum against Mahathir to win their sympathy.

Islam is the official religion of Malaysia and more than half of the multi-racial country's 18 million population are Moslems.

Ashaari refused to say on Saturday whether he aspired to become prime minister but predicted that Mahathir and deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim would fall from power in two years or earlier.

Fauzi Abdul Rahman, another senior UMNO member and parliamentary secretary to the information ministry, said yesterday a national campaign against Al-Arqam was being planned through the media to help Mahathir fight the group.