Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad attended a gathering of some 40,000 people late yesterday to celebrate his ruling party's 57th birthday.

Mahathir is the president of the Umno, which was founded in 1946 to fight Malaysia's British colonial masters.

In his hour-long speech, the prime minister urged his countrymen to remain united against foreign colonisers, though Mahathir did not identify who they were.

"Today, we face a bigger challenge. We may be colonised. We will be made slaves by them.

"See what happened to Afghanistan and Iraq. If we are weak, believe me, they will turn to us," he said.

The new target

Mahathir warned that Malaysia has become the new target of those who allege that the country is not democratic and does not practise human rights and press freedoms.

"If the enemy is at our doorstep we cannot achieve victory by just prayers. But if we unite, equip ourselves with science and technology, God willing our prayers will be answered.

"Remember, remember, God will not help if we do not help ourselves. This is the responsibility of Umno," he said.

Shariff Hamid, Umno spokesman, told AFP that the theme of the celebration was "the struggle of a nation," stressing the party's aim of uniting not just the Malays, but other ethnic groups too.

Malays account for slightly more than 50 percent of the country's 23 million people. Other groups include Chinese (30 percent), Indians (10 percent) and some indigenous groups.

Fireworks display

Mahathir arrived in a horse-drawn carriage and delivered the speech at the Stadium Merdeka where the country's first prime minister Tengku Abdul Rahman Putra proclaimed Malaysia's independence.

A fireworks display followed after Mahathir released 5,700 balloons into the air.

The 77-year-old leader has announced he would step down in October and his 63-year-old heir apparent, deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, would replace him.

Mahathir, a veteran Southeast Asian leader who has led Malaysia since 1981, is credited with dragging the country from the commodity-based economic backwaters into the manufacturing mainstream of Asian exporters. AFP