Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmd Badawi should emulate his Japanese counterpart Yasuo Fukuda in stepping down from the premiership, said PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub.

Salahuddin said that such practices are not uncommon in the West and it is a sign of maturity to resign when a leader fails to command legislative and public confidence.

"In Malaysia, this culture does not exist. Instead, Barisan Nasional leaders are stubbornly hanging on to power even though they have been rejected by the public," said Salahuddin in a statement today.

salahuddin ayub 02 Salahuddin qualified this statement by stating that calls for Abdullah to quit not only came from the public and opposition parties, but also Umno members such as former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Barisan component party Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp).

He also argued that Barisan's defeat in Permatang Pauh by-election indicated that Abdullah's leadership was no longer relevant and his resignation must ensue.

"Unfortunately, the third-world feudal mentality is allowing Abdullah to stay in power. The main reason is to allow his family and cronies to take the country's wealth, while allowing corruption to be endemic."

Salahuddin said that should Abdullah now follow Fukuda's footsteps, the country would be spared from suffering policies meant to prioritise cronies and the premier's family.

Fukuda resigned on Monday after less than a year as the leader of Japan, following a rule identified with passivity in leadership style, a shrinking economy and a series of scandals.

Despite being an elder of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party and son of a previous prime minister, Fukuda decided it was time to leave the job.

abdullah ahmad badawi pm anti inflation pc 090608 Calls for Abdullah to step down began after BN suffered its worst defeat in history during the March 8 general election.

Quit calls picked up steam again after BN lost the Permatang Pauh contest by an even larger majority - and the demands were led by veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Umno Youth exco member Mukhriz Mahathir.