Dissenters Calls for Malaysia PM to QuitBy SEAN YOONG – 7 hours ago
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Some Malaysian ruling party membersare mounting an Internet campaign demanding the prime minister'sresignation after massive losses in national elections over the weekend.
Theinitiative is an indication of brewing dissent against Prime MinisterAbdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has repeatedly insisted he will not stepdown and that he commands the loyalty of most members of his dominantUnited Malays National Organization.
A popular Web site calledMaya Kmu Dot Net sought support this week for a petition urgingAbdullah to "resign voluntarily as prime minister and UMNO president."Although anonymously run, it is known to be widely read by UMNO membersbecause it features criticism about the party that cannot be aired inregular party forums.
The site says it has conducted a poll in which some 90 percent of more than 2,500 respondents so far say Abdullah should quit.
MohamadNoh Zainudin, an UMNO grass-roots official who pledged support for thepetition, said Thursday that Abdullah must shoulder the blame for "thegovernment's poor image, which caused the bad results" in Saturday'sgeneral elections.
"At the grassroots level, there is a feelingthat the prime minister should step down," Mohamad Noh, an UMNO branchofficial in northern Perak state, told The Associated Press. "Thesenior leaders cannot express this because there is a culture of notspeaking out."
Top party leaders have backed Abdullah, saying noone is solely responsible for election results that saw the long-rulinggovernment lose its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the firsttime since 1969 despite winning enough seats to remain in power.
UMNO,whose members are from the ethnic Malay Muslim majority, forms thebackbone of the governing National Front coalition. The electionresults were the worst ever for the 14-party coalition, which onlyretained control of eight of Malaysia's 13 states.
Abdullah tookhis oath of office Monday to remain prime minister for anotherfive-year term. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said this week thatUMNO leaders would reject any calls for Abdullah to resign, addingthere should not be "any speculation or effort to change leadership."
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