Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was today advised by DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang not to play politics with the country's future by warning Malaysians of the danger of Pax Americana to re-colonise the country.

Lim Kit Siang said the premier should not do this to justify long-standing violations of democracy, human rights and press freedom.

He said that the premier should call for an all-party/NGOs conference to reach a national consensus o­n the threat posed by the United States if he (Mahathir) genuinely believes that the Bush administration poses a real and present threat to the independence and national sovereignty of Malaysia.

"Then we can all work out an all-party national strategy to protect the independence, territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the country," Lim said in a statement today.

Common theme

The DAP leader was commenting o­n the prime minister's speeches at the MIC general assembly and the Umno 57th anniversary celebrations over the weekend.

Mahathir had used a common theme - the danger of a new Pax Americana to re-colonise Malaysia through "regime change".

Asserting that although Malaysia achieved independence 46 years ago, and is well-eveloped, the threat of colonisation is even greater today, the premier said:

"They (Western powers) have not said that we are their targets yet. But they have already criticised us for not being democratic, not protecting human rights and not having press freedom. This is the beginning. When they are done with the other countries, they will turn their attention to us because we know that these colonizers will never be satisfied," Mahathir added.

Lim said that the last thing Mahathir should do is to play party politics by conjuring the danger of the re-colonisation of Malaysia by a new Pax Americana ala Bush and equating the future of Malaysia with the strength of the Barisan Nasional.

The premier and BN chairperson had also said that the BN needs a stronger mandate in the next general election because of the efforts by some countries to undermine the independence of the country and to ensure the opposition could not "subvert" the government.

Supreme price

Lim pointed out that for decades, many nationalist, loyal and patriotic Malaysians in the political opposition had paid the supreme price of their convictions with their personal liberties by criticising the Umno-led government for not being democratic, not protecting human rights and not having press freedom,

"Have they all suddenly become stooges and puppets of the new Pax Americana to re-colonise Malaysia using these issues?" he asked.

Lim also reminded Mahathir that the motion in Parliament opposing the US-led war against Iraq was passed unanimously in March with the support of all political parties, government and opposition.

He pointed out that it was unfair for the premier to create a propaganda trap for the opposition in the run-up to the next general election by painting them as disloyal and anti-national.

"In fact, coming to the end of his premiership, Mahathir should leave the national stage as a Malaysian statesman instead of as a mere Umno/BN partisan plotting till the last minute how to put down the political struggle of the opposition over the past few decades," Lim added.