Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) considers former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to be of the same mould.

According to party deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali, the duo are iron-fist rulers akin to "wolves that can go on a rampage."

"Wolves will be wolves, even if the colour of their fur or movements are different," he said in his speech at the PKR Youth and Wanita congress in Penang today.

"As long as Abdullah does not prove that he will bring about the reforms he promised in the last general election, there is no reason to support him," he added.

Syed Husin said this is why PKR has decided not to support Mahathir or Abdullah and their respective programmes, which the opposition party feels, do not bring any good to the country.

"Actually, there is no difference between Mahathir and Abdullah. Maybe their administrative styles differ a little but their basic policies and practices are the same. They both have a similar administration, 'iron fist'.

"Both use cruel laws to stifle media freedom, Mahathir used the ISA (Internal Security Act) and Abdullah continues to detain those accused of being a security threat, but their crimes never proven in court," he added.

'Abdullah has failed'

The opposition leader said Abdullah is also continuing Mahathir's legacy of control over the media, police and providing limited space for the opposition.

At times, the situation now appears to be even more restrictive, he added.

As for Mahathir, Syed Husin said the former premier cannot be supported or accepted unless, "he asks for forgiveness from the people and Allah for the cruelty and corruption perpetuated by him and his cronies."

He said since Abdullah is no different from his predecessor, PKR members must continue to chart their own course to bring about the planned changes.

The veteran politician claimed that during Mahathir's 22-reign, corruption and cronyism was widespread and Abdullah vowed to combat this.

"But for these past years, Abdullah proved that he has failed. He is following Mahathir's footsteps, and continues the malpractice..." he alleged.

The PKR deputy president also claimed that Mahathir wants to topple his successor and pave the way for a prime minister who will be his 'puppet'.

He dismissed the former premier's claim that he does not wish to oust Abdullah and that he is merely seeking answers to his questions as nothing more than a trick.

Mahathir afraid

Syed Husin cited two reasons as to why Mahathir wants to get rid of Abdullah, whom he handpicked to replace him in 2003.

The first, he said, is because the former premier is afraid of facing the court over several cases such as those related to Mahathir's former deputy and current PKR adviser Anwar Ibrahim as well as MAS' ex-boss Tajudin Ramli.

He said Mahathir is worried that his can of worms, which he has managed to keep hidden all this while, will be opened to the public.

"He wants a prime minister who can control the judiciary to take his (Mahathir's) side. Abdullah cannot ascertain that this will not happen. It is proven that under Abdullah, the court was courageous enough to free Anwar," he added.

Secondly, he said Mahathir wants to ensure that his heritage, namely in politics and development, does not fade.

"From Mahathir's accusations, we can read that Abdullah promised to protect and continue what was started by Mahathir. Now, he has broken his promise.

"Actually, Abdullah did not act in that manner to effect any great changes, but rather to protect his political and economic interests and that of his family and cronies," he added.

"Mahathir wants a prime minister who he can control. His initial hope on Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has turned out to be a disappointment. Now, Mahathir has no other candidates. He can't come back , so will he, in his desperation, offer the name of any frog that is willing to jump for him?" he said.

"Or will he think about Tengku Razaleigh (Hamzah) who could be waiting by the sidelines? Unfortunately, Mahathir knows his chances are becoming increasingly slim, unless there is a miracle," he added.

The PKR national congress will be a three-day affair. Party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will officiate the meet tomorrow.