April 02, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 24, 1429

KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday urged Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to resign following disastrous election results.

Abdullah, also president of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), is facing increasing calls to quit from party leaders.

“I ask (Abdullah) to resign,” the former prime minister, who ruled Malaysia for 22 years, told a gathering of at least 2,000 UMNO members. The focus of the meeting was to analyse the March 8 election results but it turned out to be a platform to demand Abdullah’s resignation.

“Anyone else would have already resigned but (Abdullah) has no shame,” Mahathir, who picked Abdullah to succeed him October 2003, told a cheering crowd.

Mahathir said Abdullah had ignored the will of the people, while the veteran’s son, Mukhriz, a lawmaker, echoed the call for Abdullah to go.—AFP