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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Sun Front Page (20/5)

Read this doc on Scribd: The Star Malaysia Cover (20 May 2008)

The nation’s FREE newspaper 30 sen for delivery to your doorstep MEMBER AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS (MALAYSIA) 275,000 COPIES DAILY Award winning newspaper for public service reporting and opinion writing. No. 4515 PP 2644/12/2008 (020369) Tuesday May 20, 2008 TELLING IT AS IT IS www.sun2surf.com Dr M quits Umno A LOR STAR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced yesterday he was quitting Umno with immediate effect, and urged those who shared his views on Umno’s leadership to leave as well, but not to join another party The 82-year-old Mahathir said he was doing this as he had lost confidence in the party’s present leadership for failing to protect the interests and well-being of the Malays. “I am quitting Umno today,” he announced before 1,000 people, many of them Kedah Umno members, here. The former Umno president said he would only return as an Umno member after Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi resigned from the posts or was no longer the country’s top leader. “I will write a letter to Umno headquarters to inform that I had quit the party,” said Mahathir, who was the prime minister and Umno president for 22 years. His announcement came three days after the government ordered the attorneygeneral to investigate him and five others over the appointment of judges while he was in power. He had said he was willing to be investigated and taken to court over the allegations. Addressing reporters after a function titled “Fate of the Malay Race”, organised by the Kedah Malay Assembly Hall, a visiblydisappointed Mahathir said he decided to leave Umno because he felt the party could no longer serve as a genuine political party to protect Malay rights and interests, Umno’s founding objectives. I will not ask people to do something that I myself dare not do.” – Mahathir inviting Umno members to leave the party but not to join another party. Expressing his dissatisfaction, Mahathir, who has been an Umno member since the party’s formative year in 1946, claimed Umno had now been made a party to merely recognise Abdullah as the Umno president and accord importance to the prime minister’s family interests, with the nation’s welfare taking a backseat. “I can list out the things that Abdullah had done to the detriment of our nation’s interests. The Umno of today no longer holds to the party’s founding goals when it was formed 62 years ago. That is why I have no hesitation whatsoever to leave the party,” said Mahathir, who was expelled from Umno in 1969 for breaching party discipline when he criticised the then party leadership led by Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj. He was readmitted into Umno in 1972. Mahathir invited Umno members, who shared his stand on the current Umno leadership, to leave the party but not to join another party. “I believe this way will be effective. I will not ask people to do something that I myself dare not do,” he said. He also reiterated his disappointment over Umno members being prevented by the party leadership from meeting him. “Even to meet them, Umno members and division leaders are not allowed to see me. What is this?” he asked. He said the Umno leadership’s action had only created more dissatisfaction and had portrayed Umno as undemocratic. Those who love party will not leave: Abdullah by Maria J. Dass newsdesk@thesundily.com KUALA LUMPUR: Expressing surprise over Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s decision to quit Umno, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he hoped Umno members realise the importance of staying loyal to the party to ensure it is strong enough to continue its struggles. Addressing Mahathir’s call to members to follow him out of the party, Abdullah said: “I wouldn’t know what other members would do, but I believe they won’t leave the party because they care and love Umno, that’s what I know. They want to be Umno members, they want Umno to be strong … there’s no reason, no logic for them to leave Umno.” » Turn to Page 2 » Turn to Page 2 UTUSAN PIX Bone of 0-31 n pg3 contentio » China mourns pg14 » Lingam tape report – minus the thunder pg4 news without border

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