Keadilan vice-president Azmin Ali today denied an allegation made by a former naval chief that opposition parties, Keadilan in particular, had asked him and other military leaders to topple the government.

Keadilan upholds democratic principles and rejects the use of any form of violence in its political struggles, he was quoted by national news agency Bernama as saying.

Azmin said any individual making allegations on the party's involvement in any activities that involved violence must come forward with evidence.

"I strongly deny the allegation by the individual. We in the party accept the democratic process as the channel for any political change in the country," he said when commenting on the statement by former Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Chief Admiral Abu Bakar Jamal in a local paper today that he and other military leaders had received letters and e-mails from opposition parties calling on the armed forces to topple the government.

From reformasi group

In the interview, Abu Bakar, when asked on the names of the senders of such letters, said there were no names stated but claimed they were from the "reformasi" group.

Abu Bakar, who retired three weeks ago after serving in the RMN for 28 years, also said that certain groups were keen to topple the government on Oct 31, 1999 but the armed forces refused to be involved.

Azmin told Bernama that anyone could use certain names in the e-mails or letters and it was difficult to ascertain the genuineness or existence of the individual concerned.

He said Abu Bakar's claims were part of the government's continuing propaganda to tarnish Keadilan's image. Azmin said the people were already "fed up" with the government's tactics.

The news agency also quoted Umno Youth International Bureau chairman Dr Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman as saying that the allegations by the former RMN Chief were very serious and needed further investigation.