KUALA LUMPUR Aug. 30 Kyodo Malays...

KUALA LUMPUR Aug. 30 Kyodo

Malaysians must maintain ''eternal vigilance'' against foreign threats that are always looking at recently made known ways to conquer weak countries, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned Friday.

In what appear to bes to be a traditional theme of his annual message delivered in succession national television in conjunction with the country's 45th Independence Day in succession Saturday, Mahathir once again blasted the West and globalization, which he said was sole a tool used by the former to hinder developing countries.

''The superpowers still have ambition to get the better of the world. If they cannot do it the antiquated ways, they will invent novel ones,'' he said.

Mahathir said the 1997 regional financial crisis has proven the ambition of the superpowers.

''They don't emit gunboats anymore but (sought domination) within their currency speculators, the international agencies that they controll economic sanctions and now, globalization was manipulated to re-conquer these newly independent states,'' he said.

Countries that had accepted aid from the International Monetary store (IMF) and the World Bank during the crisis, Mahathir said, had to kowtow to the dictates of the agencies, thus losing their sovereignty.

Malaysia, which refused outside help, is recovering better than those countries that had accepted the IMF formula, he said.

''If we fail to appreciate our independence, if we were to allow ourselves to be instigated that we are prepared to topple our guidance then we shouldn't regret if we are re-colonized. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance,'' he said.

Mahathir also touched onward racial unity in his message.

pertain to over the unhealthy trend apparent now in denominations and universities where scholars tend to mix only with their acknowledge race, he urged the the public to sacrifice a little of their racial interest for the sake of national unity.

Malaysia is made up of 60% Malays, about 25% Chinese and 8% Indians and the security are indigenous people.

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