Mahathir vows war of words against Badawi

By John Burton
The Financial Times

Mahathir Mohamad, the former Malaysian leader, on Monday vowed to continue his campaign against his successor, Abdullah Badawi, in spite of suffering a humiliating defeat during delegate elections for the ruling party at the weekend.

Dr Mahathir accused the government of bribing party members to vote against him in his home district and called on Mr Abdullah to resign.

"Either he changes or he steps down," otherwise "the only way they can stop me is to throw me in jail," said Dr Mahathir.

"I am not going to stop exposing this government's misdeeds. You can try to shut me out but I have got a big mouth. I am going to use this big mouth."

The emotional outburst underscored that Dr Mahathir is becoming an embarrassing liability for the ruling United Malays National Organisation, which has led Malaysia's coalition government since independence in 1957.

Dr Mahathir lost a bid to become a delegate to November's Umno annual meeting, where he was expected to confront Mr Abdullah over policy issues.

In spite of selecting Mr Abdullah to succeed him in 2003, Dr Mahathir has criticised the government this year for abandoning many of his projects.

Although there had been fears that the former leader's persistent criticism could cause a split in Umno, his failure to secure a place as a delegate is being seen as Dr Mahathir's "last hurrah".

Shahrir Samad, a reformist MP and an Abdullah ally, said the loss marked the end of an era and reflected dwindling support for the former prime minister.

Most Umno leaders have supported Mr Abdullah in the dispute and urged Dr Mahathir to heed the vote and adopt a more constructive role.

Although Dr Mahathir was famous for being blunt and outspoken in a political system that favours consensus, his behaviour appears to have alienated many once he left office.

Dr Mahathir had a right to voice his concerns, but should have done so privately with government officials instead of openly criticising his successor, said Mr Shahrir.

Mr Abdullah said Dr Mahathir will be invited to the Umno annual meeting, but he will not have a right to speak before the conference because he is not a delegate.

If Dr Mahathir had been elected as a delegate, he had been expected to repeat allegations that Mr Abdullah was mismanaging the government and allowing family members to benefit from corruption.

The Abdullah administration, which is promoting reforms that Dr Mahathir opposed, has denied the accusations. Similar criticism were made against Dr Mahathir during his 22 years in office.

Dr Mahathir said he had no plans to return to politics, but needed to speak out because "I have a duty to correct things that are wrong and make sure this country goes on the right path."

Abdullah allies claim that Dr Mahathir wants to topple the government and install Najib Razak, the deputy prime minister, as leader. Mr Najib has publicly pledged his support to Mr Abdullah.