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."

Mahathir handed over power to Abdullah in 2003, ending more than two decades as premier, but the two quickly fell out and the veteran leader campaigned relentlessly to undermine his successor.

After the March 2008 general elections that produced the Barisan Nasional's worst ever results, with the loss of one third of parliamentary seats and five states to the opposition, Abdullah was forced to agree to stand down.

The opposition's success in snatching a parliamentary seat from the government in the northeastern city of Kuala Terengganu is seen as an indication the coalition has failed to claw back support.

General elections are due to be held by 2013, but the opposition has said the government could call a snap poll this year because it fears its popularity will have fallen even further in several years' time. (MSNNews)