*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* { Sila lawat Laman Hizbi-Net - http://www.hizbi.net } { Hantarkan mesej anda ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED] } { Iklan barangan? Hantarkan ke [EMAIL PROTECTED] } *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* Undilah PAS : MENENTANG KEZALIMAN & MENEGAKKAN KEADILAN ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mahathir acknowledges Anwar is threat to ruling party KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (AFP) - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad acknowledged Friday for the first time that the jailing of his sacked deputy Anwar Ibrahim could significantly damage the ruling party. Launching "Operation Destroy Slander," Mahathir spent one hour of a speech to ruling party delegates denouncing what he called Anwar's lies. "Today we are facing a problem. Whatever we have done, the people have put it aside. The people's focus is on the allegation that UMNO is a cruel party," he told some 1,000 leaders of the United Malays National Organisation from all over the country. "Many of us are unable to counter it," he added. "I don't have a formula. Our problem is to find out how to counter the slander and lies that has reached dangerous proportions, where people are confused and unable to differentiate between the truth and a lie." One diplomatic source said the comments indicated that Anwar, despite being jailed for six years in April for abusing his official position to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct, was still very much an election issue. Polls must be held by next June but are widely expected earlier. Mahathir is expected to face his toughest test of recent years after Anwar's case split the ethnic Malay constituency. The ruling National Front coalition is virtually guaranteed victory. But Mahathir is committed to retaining its two-thirds parliamentary majority against an opposition alliance whose candidate for premier is Anwar. The premier told UMNO officials: "While we have not decided the election date, campaigning has already begun." Attacking a "dangerous level of slanders" from the opposition, he added: "People are confused and when election comes they may choose the bad party." Mahathir said he and his party were being labelled as cruel and he was being called a dictator, while Anwar's image was that of a religious person. But in a swinging attack on his former heir apparent, Mahathir accused Anwar of being an opportunist who had used his religious image. Anwar was leader of an influential Islamic youth movement in the 1970s. He said Anwar had also cheated the ruling party by using it just as a vehicle to the premiership but acknowledged: "Until now there are many UMNO members who are still loyal to him." Mahathir said Anwar had lied about an arsenic poisoning attempt. "Now his new approach is to complain of headache. Remember, this a tactic of an expert liar." Anwar's sodomy trial was adjourned Friday for more hospital tests after he complained of splitting headaches. Mahathir, predicting more opposition demonstrations, added: "All that is a show that he is seriously sick and the government is cruel. People who do not know me would think I'm a cruel person. "We'll find it difficult to counter Anwar's lies." Elsewhere in the capital, some 200 Anwar supporters chanting "Reformasi" (reform) gathered outside the Election Commission as members of various groups presented a memorandum calling for safeguards against poll fraud. The memo from the human rights organisation Suaram and other groups demands that some 650,000 new voters registered in April should be qualified to vote this year rather than next. It also demanded an end to postal voting for soldiers and police and for voters' fingers to be marked with indelible ink to prevent double voting. The opposition believes Mahathir will call an election before the young voters, presumed to be more radical than their elders, come on electoral rolls -- possibly by next January or February. Top of Page - Main News Page - Back to Malaysia Contents Page - Earlier Item ©AFP 1999 The information provided in this product is for personal use only. None of it may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the express permission of Agence France-Presse. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ( Melanggan ? To : [EMAIL PROTECTED] pada body : SUBSCRIBE HIZB) ( Berhenti ? To : [EMAIL PROTECTED] pada body: UNSUBSCRIBE HIZB) ( Segala pendapat yang dikemukakan tidak menggambarkan ) ( pandangan rasmi & bukan tanggungjawab HIZBI-Net ) ( Bermasalah? Sila hubungi [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pengirim: abuhanif <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>