Malaysia's Mahathir sees no easing of rift with PM

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday he would remain a thorn in the side of his successor in the run-up to elections, and would continue to speak his mind.
Until subdued by heart problems last year, the outspoken Mahathir was the most vocal critic of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, accusing his government of lacking "guts" and selling out Malaysian sovereignty.
"I still disagree on several of his policies, mainly allowing Malaysians to be subject to Singapore's wishes," the 82-year-old told select foreign media in an interview ahead of Wednesday's launch of his new book.
The book published for the first time his personal correspondence with world leaders including U.S. President George W. Bush, on issues ranging from terrorism to Islam and Myanmar.
"We are not as independent as before in terms of our attitude towards international affairs," said Mahathir, who ruled the nation for 22 years with an iron grip. "We tend to be very accommodative."
DEAD WOOD
In the interview, he took Abdullah to task for "wasting (public) money", dismissed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as a "daydreamer" and asserted that the domestic economy was in "bad shape" without a rally in commodity prices.
Mahathir said Abdullah's ruling front would be returned with a strong majority in the polls, widely expected by March, but said voters must get rid of dead wood in the coalition.
"But there are certain people whose contribution is negative. These people should not be chosen as candidates," Mahathir, wearing a collarless Nehru suit, said at his office in the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers.
"I still support the party and I still believe the party will win with a good majority but one must not confuse support for the party with support for the individual," he said.
On Anwar, Mahathir said his political enemy would not be a major factor in the coming elections.
"He's not a real factor," he said. "There's no more political future for him. If he thinks he's going to be the prime minister, it's daydreaming of the worst kind."
A charismatic speaker, Anwar was sacked from government in 1998 after falling out with Mahathir. Anwar then led street protests before he was arrested and later jailed on what he called trumped-up charges of graft and sodomy.
Released in 2004, his corruption conviction means he cannot stand for elected office or hold political office until April this year.
Mahathir, who has a history of heart problem, underwent a heart bypass in September and doctors have advised him to cut down on travel and other activities, including horse-riding.
The operation was Mahathir's second such surgery since 1989 and followed two heart attacks over the past 13 months.
His quarrel with Abdullah came to the fore after the government scrapped Mahathir's idea to replace a causeway linking Malaysia and Singapore with a bridge.
Asked if Abdullah should quit, he replied: "It is up to him to decide. It's also up to the people to decide. If the people want him to move on, if they think his administration is not benefiting them, they should make a decision."

Malaysia's Mahathir fears corruption in general elections

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - - Malaysian former premier Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday lashed the government as "weak" and said he feared that vote-buying would be deployed to stem its losses in upcoming general elections.
Mahathir, who stepped down in 2003 after two decades in power, echoed analysts' views that the increasingly unpopular government is headed for losses at the polls expected to be held in March.
He also criticised its decision to jail ethnic Indian protesters, saying the minority community had no way of airing its grievances, and that a wave of public protests was inspired by the government's repeated errors.
In an interview with foreign newswires to mark the launch of a book on his correspondence with world leaders, Mahathir said the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) would still lead the Barisan Nasional coalition.
"Even if (UMNO) lose 20, 30 of their candidates, the Barisan Nasional is going to win", Mahathir said, but added that voters would be sending a message with what is expected to be a reduced majority.
"It will give a much truer picture of the support that the government gets, but I fear corruption of the voters," he said.
"I hope that this kind of money politics -- I know a lot of people are collecting a lot of money now -- if they use money politics the result may not reflect the true feeling of the people."
Mahathir was critical of his successor Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's jailing of five ethnic Indian activists under a draconian internal security law that allows for indefinite detention without trial.
The leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) infuriated the government in November by leading 8,000 people onto the capital's streets, claiming that ethnic Indians are marginalised in multicultural Malaysia.
"No, I don't think they should have thrown the leaders (into detention), they should have met these people first and had proper discussion," Mahathir said.
The 82-year-old said he did not accept the claim that Indians are marginalised, but that coalition member the Malaysian Indian Congress was not representing them properly.
"Here you have only one (Indian) political party and nobody else is allowed to come in and that is what is making the Indians really unhappy," he said.
The Hindraf rally was one of several streets demonstrations that have shaken the government in recent months, along with an election reform rally that drew more than 30,000 protesters.
"There are occasions when there is a need for protest, when (the people) see that the government is repeatedly doing the wrong thing or they see the government is being weak, then they resort to protest," Mahathir said.
The one-time strongman of Malaysian politics said he expected his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim, who he sacked in 1998 when he was jailed on corruption and sodomy charges, to continue to be a "thorn" in the government's side.
Anwar's ban on seeking political office expires in April this year, but Mahathir was scathing of his prospects.
"There is no more political future for (Anwar)," he said. "If he thinks he is going to be the prime minister, he is daydreaming."
Abdullah was Mahathir's hand-picked successor when he stepped down in 2003, but after the new leader dumped several of his pet projects he began launching accusations of economic mismanagement, nepotism and corruption.