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SHAH ALAM (Islam Online & AFP) - Tens of thousands Malaysians staged colorful National Day parades across the country Thursday as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned them of what he called foreign threats to sovereignty. In the capital Kuala Lumpur, a small group of opposition supporters, shouting "Reformasi!" (Reform), gathered to demand "real democracy" for the country which achieved independence from Britain 43 years ago. Malaysia's king, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, Mahathir, ministers and diplomats joined thousands of spectators for the main parade, held this year in the town of Shah Alam west of the capital. Senior opposition leaders including Fadzil Noor, president of the Parti Islam SeMalaysia, were also present to watch the parade and an air force fly past. Similar parades were held throughout the country. Mahathir, in a foreword to a souvenir publication, said Malaysia was acknowledged as a model country, which combined rapid economic growth, and social and economic stability. He called for tolerance in the multiracial nation and urged Malaysians to be alert to internal and external threats. "Certain quarters are ill at ease at seeing our country progress and even overtaking them," Mahathir wrote. "They thus try to sow disunity in this country so as to cause instability and the economy to slump and to threaten our independence." The ruling party has suffered a sharp drop in support from ethnic Malays since Mahathir sacked his popular deputy Anwar Ibrahim two years ago. Anwar was later jailed for abuse of power and sodomy and will stay behind bars till 2009 at the earliest. The Ibrahim case garnered world attention and condemnation, causing groups such as the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) to withdraw its invitation to Matathir to attend and address its annual convention in Chicago that begins today. Matathir reacted to the cancelled invitation by stating that groups like ISNA were influenced and corrupted by biased media outside Malaysia. Nevertheless, Matathir will be in Chicago during ISNA’s conference there, but will attend another meeting across town. Back home, Mahathir also blames foreign currency speculators for East Asia's financial crisis and sees the West's concept of globalization as akin to re-colonization. In a National Day speech Wednesday evening the veteran premier said "foreign powers" were still bent on re-colonizing the country. Mahathir also accused "extremist" Chinese and Malay groups of fanning racial sentiments that could lead to a confrontation. In the speech he singled out an umbrella group for 11 Chinese associations, which earlier this month revived a 17-point program, questioning some special privileges for Malays. Mahathir likened the Chinese groups' approach to that of communist terrorists in the 1950s and to an Islamic cult whose members raided a military armory in July and murdered two hostages. Lim Kit Siang, chairman of the opposition Democratic Action Party, said Mahathir's speech had outraged the Chinese community and done "enormous harm" to inter-racial understanding. Ethnic Chinese are the second largest community, followed by Indians. At the national mosque in Kuala Lumpur, about 100 of Anwar's supporters gathered to launch "Reformasi Month" to highlight his plight. A handful of police looked on but did not intervene. "We are here to continue fighting for a real democracy for the people," said Mohamad Ezam Mohamad Noor, youth chief of the National Justice Party founded by Anwar's wife. Mahathir, he said, had "destroyed every grain of democracy in Malaysia." |
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