Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 28 February 2020
Malaysia's Mahathir says Parliament will pick new PM

By EILEEN NG statement late Thursday,
Associated Press the three remaining parties
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia in Anwar's alliance said Ma-
(AP) — Malaysian interim hathir had jumped the gun
leader Mahathir Moha- in making the announce-
mad said Thursday that ment because the palace
Parliament will pick a new hadn't issued any official
prime minister next week statement. They said it also
following the collapse of came ahead of a meeting
the ruling alliance, and of the Conference of Rulers
that snap elections will be to discuss the matter.
called if the vote ends in The Conference of Rulers
an impasse. But his former is composed of nine eth-
alliance led by rival Anwar nic Malay hereditary state
Ibrahim rejected the an- rulers who take turns be-
nouncement, saying that ing Malaysia's king for five-
only the king has the power year terms under a unique
to appoint the prime minis- rotating monarchy system.
ter under the constitution. While the king's role is large-
Mahathir, who met the ly ceremonial, the mon-
king earlier Thursday, said arch is highly regarded by
the monarch couldn't find the country's Malay major-
a candidate with a clear ity as the guardian of Islam
majority to lead the nation and Malay tradition. Malaysian interim leader Mahathir Mohamad speaks during a press conference at his office in
after consulting all 222 law- The alliance said Mahathir's Putrajaya, Malaysia, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. Associated Press
makers over the last two move was akin to challeng-
days. As a result, the king ing the king's power to ap- fund. Mahathir and Anwar Lawmakers from Anwar's embrace UMNO members
decided to have the lower point the prime minister and reconciled and forged an alliance nominated Anwar who leave the party. He
house of Parliament vote urged all sides to respect alliance that won the 2018 instead as prime minister said he still needs to discuss
on a new leader on Mon- Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ah- election, ushering in the when meeting the king af- this with Bersatu leaders,
day, he said. "If the lower mad Shah's authority. first change of government ter Mahathir rejected their who were willing to ac-
house fails to find a person Anwar was Mahathir's since independence from offer to restore their for- cept UMNO en bloc. Ber-
with the majority, then we deputy in the 1990s during Britain in 1957. mer government. Anwar's satu already joined hands
will have to go for a snap Mahathir's first stint as prime But their relationship re- camp controls 41% of par- with UMNO to take control
election," he told a news minister, but he was sacked mained uneasy as Mahathir liamentary seats, 20 seats of a southern state earlier
conference. A failed bid following a power struggle refused to set a time frame short of a simple majority. Thursday. Mahathir said he
by Mahathir's supporters and later jailed on sodomy to hand over power to An- Bersatu abandoned the will accept the outcome
to form a new government and corruption charges war under their election governing alliance four of Monday's vote and that
without his designated suc- that he said were trumped pact. Mahathir, the world's days ago in a bid to form a the new leader can choose
cessor, Anwar, and Maha- up. Anwar led a reform oldest leader at 94, said new government with sev- anyone he likes as his Cabi-
thir's shock resignation on movement that helped Wednesday he wanted to eral opposition parties. But net members, alluding
Monday broke apart the build a fledgling opposition form a nonpartisan govern- it flopped after Mahathir back to the unity govern-
ruling alliance less than two but was jailed a second ment if chosen as prime quit in protest of the plan ment plan he proposed.
years after it defeated a time for sodomy in 2014 in minister for a third time. But to work with the United Ma- The political drama that
corruption-tainted coali- what he said was aimed at his unity government plan lays National Organization, unfolded over the week-
tion that had led the coun- killing his political career. was rejected by Anwar's the party of disgraced ex- end saw 37 lawmakers, led
try for 61 years. Both Ma- Mahathir, who retired in camp and other opposition Prime Minister Najib Razak by Bersatu, ditching the rul-
hathir and Anwar are now 2003 after 22 years in pow- parties, which said it would who is on trial on corruption ing alliance, depriving it of
vying for the premiership, er, made a comeback in only create a "Mahathir charges, that he ousted in majority support. The king
renewing a political feud 2016, spurred by anger over government" that was not the 2018 polls. dissolved the Cabinet but
that stretches back more a massive graft scandal in- accountable to the peo- Mahathir said he still can- reappointed Mahathir as
than two decades. In a volving a state investment ple and was unsustainable. not accept UMNO but will interim leader.q

Thai police find bodies of suspected smugglers in reservoir

BANGKOK (AP) — Police in from neighboring Myan- more than a kilometer bodies. The U.N. anti-drug Nations Office on Drugs
northern Thailand said the mar, and it is not unusual (half a mile) from where agency said last year that and Crime.
bodies of seven people for security forces to en- Monday’s shootout oc- production of metham- The report said organized
believed to be drug smug- counter smugglers there, curred. The drugs were es- phetamine is skyrocket- crime groups in the region
glers were found Thursday most commonly transport- timated to be worth 2 mil- ing in Southeast Asia, with have stepped up their in-
in a reservoir in an area un- ing methamphetamine lion baht ($63,000). prices dropping and us- volvement in making and
der military control. tablets. Thailand is both a Police speculated that the age expanding, trafficking methamphet-
Police in Chiang Rai prov- market and a transit point bodies may have been Even as seizures of the amine and other drugs in
ince’s Mae Sai district said for the drug. of people who drowned drug known as speed, ice the Golden Triangle, the
the seven are thought to Police said 21 sacks filled while attempting to swim and “ya ba” in its various region where the borders
have been involved in an with methamphetamine across the reservoir to es- forms reached a record of Myanmar, Laos and
armed clash with soldiers tablets and “íce,” a crys- cape the soldiers. high last year, street prices Thailand meet that has
on Monday. tallized form of the stimu- Police investigating the have dropped, indicating historically been a ma-
The area is notorious as a lant, were discovered on case are awaiting the re- increased availability, said jor source of opium and
route for drugs smuggled the bank of the reservoir sults of autopsies on the the report by the United heroin.q