Barisan Nasional which has ruled for half a century will be dumped at the next elections if it continues to embrace corrupt leaders, said former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad today.

mahathir pc 260608 05 Mahathir said BN's crushing defeat in yesterday's Kuala Terengganu 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 Prime Minister Najib Abdul 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."

Failed to regain support

pm abdullah ahmad badawi suspend eurocopter ec725 deal ministry of defense event 281008 02 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 BN'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 the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary seat from the government 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.

Political tsunami still on course

parliament pandikar amin anwar ibrahim lim kit siang dap pkr pc 121108 04 Meanwhile, DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang said the by-election showed that the political tsunami of the March general election last year was very much on course.

"It confirms that the paradigm shift in Malaysian politics some ten months ago was no fluke but represented the in-depth political aspirations of Malaysians," said the Ipoh Timor MP in a statement today.

The veteran politician warned that the result of the by-election served as a dire warning to Umno and its leaders of the far-reaching consequences if they refuse to heed the rakyat's call for change.

He added that the result will also have to be studied in detail, in particular, the impact of the hudud issue, during the by-election.