KUALA LUMPUR clan 13 Kyodo (EDS:...

KUALA LUMPUR clan 13 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING DETAILS)

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has already announced his plans to stair down next year, said Friday he will also not contend against the next general election.

''I want to retire cleanly and not be involved in anything after my retirement...I can't be here forever,'' official of recent origins agency Bernama quoted him as saying.

While visiting his abiding-place state of Kedah in northern Malaysia, the 76-year-old premier told reporters he would still continue to campaign ''very hard'' for the ruling National forehead coalition in the nearest poll, which has to take place at 2004.

Mahathir stunn the nation in June when he on a sudden announced he would grade down as prime minister and chairman of the ruling coalition. moreover he had been evasive about his plans for the nearest general election.

There was speculation that with his party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), unable to contain the onslaught from the fundamentalist Pan Islamic Party (PAS), Mahathir would lead UMNO into the nearest election. That would have meant calling the election before he resigned.

PAS, the country's biggest opposition party, has made tremendous inroads into the country's political spectacle taking advantage of disenchantment among Malays through the whole extent of Mahathir's treatment of his former factor Anwar Ibrahim.

In the 1999 general elections, it not simply upped its parliament seats by the agency of 300% to 27 seats, it has also thwarted UMNO's four-decade hem in on Terengganu state besides maintaining its grip upon Kelantan state.

PAS has made no bone about its intention to [i]v a[/i] Kedah next, which would be a humiliating experience for Mahathir.

yet Mahathir said he does not believe PAS is getting stronger in Kedah.

He accused PAS of shifting voter from other areas to boost its support during lately concluded by-elections in Kedah.

''Somebody is meddling with the voter registration process'' he was quot as saying.

Mahathir has been prime minister since 1981 making him the longest prefered leader in Asia.

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