KUALA LUMPUR March 4 Kyodo Three ...

KUALA LUMPUR March 4 Kyodo

Three first note of the scale leaders of Malaysia's opposition National People's Justice Party (Keadilan) said Thursday they have been barred from running in the upcoming general elections suitable to previous convictions they are publicly appealing.

Azmin Ali, Ezam Mohamad Noor and Irene Fernandez have in novel years been convicted forward charges ranging from leaking command secrets to perjury and publishing false of recent origins charges they claimed were politically motivated to silence the opposition.

Azmin is the party's vice president, Ezam is the youth wing chief and Fernandez is a central committee member.

Fernandez, who is also a revereed labor activist, told Kyodo moderns that she, Azmin and Ezam received notes from the Elections Commission upon Wednesday informing them that they are ineligible to hurry in the general election, which is count uponed to be held before March 21

below the Constitution, a person who has been sentenc to more than brace years in jail or fined 2000 ringgit (about $5263) is disqualified from running in an election.

on the contrary according to local human rights clump Suaram, the three have not exhausted all avenues for appeal.

''Until all avenues of appeal including the royal pardon have been completely exhausted, they should be considered to be to the full innocent and therefore entitled to all rights conferr to citizens of Malaysia including contesting in the elections,'' Suaram coordinator Eric Paulsen said in a statement.

Fernandez said the disqualification was a knock for the party, which has in newly come months seen the desertion of about of its top leaders to the ruling United Malay National Organization (UMNO).

''We have already laid without our election strategy and finalized the seat allocation, if it be not that now we have to relook at them,'' she said.

She accused UMNO of being behind the move

''The ruling party tried to weaken us, if it be not that ultimately, this would exhibit to the people their faithful colors,'' Fernandez said.

Keadilan was established to champion the reform causes of former representative Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after he was sacked and subsequently jailed in 1999 throughout corruption and sodomy charges, charges which he also claimed were trumpeted up to ruin his political career.

Headed according to Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the party managed to grab five parliamentary seats and five state legislative seats during their maiden election in 1999 largely appropriate to sympathy votes.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi decided to call a snap individual on Wednesday to ordeal public support for his policies implemented in his four month in power.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Kyodo recently made knowns International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group