Call for defection

Malaysia's Mahathir tells government lawmakers to temporarily defect
The Associated Press
Published: May 21, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad urged Malaysian lawmakers Wednesday to temporarily leave the ruling coalition to force a leadership change.
Mahathir made the radical call to oust Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi two days after he shocked the country by resigning from the United Malays National Organization, the main party in the National Front governing coalition.
"This is a way to force Abdullah to resign," Mahathir wrote on his blog. "If ... the government no longer has a majority (in Parliament), Abdullah's government will fall."
Mahathir — who handed power to Abdullah in 2003 after 22 years in office — said the legislators should not join opposition parties and can return to the National Front after Abdullah steps down.
The National Front won 140 of the 222 parliamentary seats in March general elections but lost its traditional two-thirds majority for the first time in 40 years.
Mahathir has blamed Abdullah for the setback, calling him a weak leader who promoted nepotism and corruption and lacked the competence to tackle public grievances over rising crime and racial disputes.
The 82-year-old Mahathir quit the ruling party Monday and urged others to follow, saying they could come back if Abdullah bows out. While some of Mahathir's family members and longtime loyalists have joined him, most prominent figures have so far shunned his call.
Mahathir's proposal Wednesday revives the specter of large-scale defections among lawmakers — a fear that emerged after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim recently claimed he had at least 30 National Front legislators who were willing to cross over and topple the government.
"If the National Front replaces Abdullah with a more courageous person, then those who have left the National Front can resume their support so that the National Front can form the government again," Mahathir wrote.
The prime minister has insisted he will not step down anytime soon, but Mahathir's campaign has made the ruling party anxious to stem a potential hemorrhage of members.
Abdullah met Malay party lawmakers Tuesday to secure their support and was slated to chair a special meeting of the party's decision-making council late Wednesday to discuss the crisis.