July 13, 2008	Sunday	Rajab 9, 1429

KUALA LUMPUR, July 12: Malaysia has frozen the leave of its police across the country as it braces for possible opposition-led mass street protests, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

The order was issued by police official Zaleha Abd Rahman on Friday, the New Straits Times reported.

It quoted unnamed sources as saying the freeze was imposed after an unnamed political party threatened to call for mass street protests.

The government has been trying to quell growing discontent by the public and opposition after a series of political scandals and a recent steep rise in pump prices of fuel sparked fears about the country’s political and economic outlook.

The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, which has led Malaysia since independence from British rule in 1957, has seen its popularity plummet since a March general election when the opposition alliance made surprisingly strong gains.

The opposition Islamist Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) said the party could call for street protests depending on the government’s response to public anger against the recent fuel price hike.

“There’s always a plan but we haven’t come to a decision on the date and place,” PAS treasurer Mohd Hatta said, when asked if the party planned any protests.

The government has rejected calls to retract its decision to lift petrol prices by 41 per cent and diesel by 63 per cent.

The People’s Justice Party, led by de facto opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim, said there were no plans for street rallies although it would continue with roadshows across the country to tell the public about its plans to form a new government.

Anwar claims to have won enough support to form a new government by September.

The opposition alliance needs just 30 more seats to win a simple majority and form the government. It won a record 82 seats in the 222-seat lower house of parliament in the March general election.— Reuters