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Agence France-Presse - 1/18/2009

Malaysian govt faces losing power over graft: Mahathir

Malaysia's coalition government which has ruled for half a century will be dumped at the next elections if it continues to embrace corrupt leaders, former premier Mahathir Mohamad said Sunday.

Mahathir said the Barisan Nasional's crushing defeat in a weekend by-election, which has given the opposition a major boost, was a vote of no confidence in the leadership of outgoing premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

He warned that deputy premier Najib Razak, who is due to take the top job in March, must not repeat the mistakes of Abdullah, who voters punished in last year's general elections for failing to introduce promised anti-graft reforms.

"I think Najib is not to be blamed for (the by-election loss) but if he continues to elect or support corrupt leaders then I think he will lose the next general election," Mahathir said.

"Leaders who are discredited, who are involved with corruption, are still being chosen as candidates," he said, without naming names.

"If they want to win, get rid of these people."

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"hark! thou signal inapropriately! thou shalt lie in the pits of hell and purge thy sins for your misdemeanour!"