Posted: 11:38a.m. IST, March 15, 2009
Kuala Lumpur, March 15 (IANS) Malaysia's long-time Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has asked Najib Tun Razak, who is expected to take over as prime minister next month, to pick his team 'carefully' following allegations that many lawmakers had 'paid money to contest'.
Choosing corrupt leaders could lead to the 'demise of the UMNO (the ruling United Malaysians National Organisation)', Mahathir said.
Mahathir warned Deputy Prime Minister Razak that with wrong selection, he could be 'signing his own death warrant'.
'We will see (who will get chosen). We know that a number of the candidates had used money as a ticket to contest,' he told a press conference.
His attack on corrupt lawmakers and ministers was a dig at Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi, whom he had hand-picked in December 2003, but who turned bitterly critical later.
Badawi is to make way for Razak next month, but the precise date of the transfer of power has not yet been announced.