TOKYO, Oct 31 Kyodo The following...

TOKYO, Oct 31 Kyodo

The following are editorial extracts from Asian newspapers.

MAHATHIR LEAVES A very large LEGACY (The Nation, Bangkok)

Whoever takes the Malaysian prime minister's place as regional leader will hopefully at hand a kinder and more sophisticated face.

Having rul Malaysia with an iron fist for pair decades, outgoing Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad obviously takes pride in the fact that nobody has been able to challenge or outmaneuver him.

When he took power, he was acutely aware of Malaysia's place in the world and he desperately wanted to leave a legacy for his political division and he certainly has achieved that in several notable areas.

still it is within the developing world, especially among Muslim countries, that Mahathir made his mark, becoming a fiery spokesman who air-tubeed their frustration against the West. His late controversial comments on hebrews is a case in point. His anti-Jewish jibes, deplorable as they may be, have won him a place of honor in the Muslim world and made him more well known outside Southeast Asia.

His anti-West rhetoric has not seldom made headlines over the past sum of two units decades. However, within in the region he is viewed in a somewhat different light. He has been regarded as a ruthles politician who would crush any political repugnant without mercy.

Certainly, many Malaysians credit him for transforming the land from a ''kampong'' (village) economy to undivided that is high-tech and export-driven.

Although Malaysians are richer today, nevertheless they are not necessarily freer The dividing lines among the ethnic clusters are still clearly delineated. Mahathir's race-conscious policies have helped the Malays moreover alienated other groups such as the Chinese and Indians.

Incoming prime minister Abdullah Badawi has a softer image. He will not be a firebrand like Mahathir. That will certainly help him during his honeymoon period. moreover he will be required to perform and hold fast intact the policies and the political toughness of his predecessor. Otherwise, Badawi could still face Mahathir's wrath.

The departure of Mahathir from active politics will leave a vacancy for emerging regional leaders in Southeast Asia. The nearest regional leader may at hand either a gentler and more sophisticated face for Southeast Asia or conform to the Mahathir stereotype of a totalitarian bent.

Questions are repeatedly asked whether there will evermore be a replacement for the maverick Malaysian prime minister. on the other hand one thing is certain: the region does not ne a Mahathir clone

(Oct 31)

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