Malaysian Leader Names Heir Apparent

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad reacted to domestic and international pressure Friday by naming a new heir apparent to replace ousted deputy Anwar Ibrahim, who is being tried on charges of sodomy and obstruction of justice.

The surprise announcement, which included a major Cabinet reshuffling, had economic and political significance for this former “economic tiger” of Southeast Asia--and for the 73-year-old Mahathir himself, the region’s longest-serving leader, who has been in power for 17 years.

Economically, Mahathir clearly was trying to restore confidence in what had been one of Malaysia’s strongest selling points to international investors until Anwar’s arrest Sept. 20: that the country’s political stability was ensured with a trusted ally in place to assume power when Mahathir steps down.

Politically, Western and Asian diplomats said, the prime minister wanted to reassert his authority and reestablish his credibility in a country that has rallied around Anwar with street demonstrations and called for Mahathir’s resignation.

The new deputy prime minister and heir apparent is Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, 59, who was foreign minister. Abdullah has long been a Mahathir confidant--or, in the words of one envoy, a “yes” man.

He is seen as untainted by corruption and is well-liked by Western businesspeople, but he is not considered a man of either vision or intellect.

When asked recently who would be an ideal candidate as his eventual successor, Mahathir answered: “Someone who is the exact replica of myself.”

In Abdullah, he got a steady, quiet loyalist, but not the brash, daring leader that Mahathir undeniably has been, Western economists said.

Mahathir’s announcement of the changes came a day after his top law enforcement official, Abdul Rahim Noor, a 30-year police veteran, resigned at the prime minister’s insistence and accepted responsibility for Anwar’s beating while in police custody.

The assault transformed Anwar’s firing as deputy prime minister from domestic politics into a human rights issue of international proportions.

Until his fall from grace, Anwar had been touted in the international media as a new breed of Asian leader--bright, charming, cosmopolitan, an advocate of Western-style economic reforms.

He had portrayed himself as a devout Muslim and family man, and Malaysians were shocked when he was dismissed Sept. 2 after disagreeing with Mahathir over economic policies.

Anwar, an admittedly ambitious man, did not go quietly.

He led a series of demonstrations denouncing Mahathir, his former mentor, and was arrested.

When he appeared in court, not for leading protests but for allegedly having had sexual dalliances and trying to hush up prospective witnesses, he bore a blackened eye and body bruises--the result, he said, of having been beaten unconscious by police officers.

Anwar has denied all charges against him.

Anwar’s trial is now entering its third month and may continue through the year. It has galvanized and divided the public and tarnished the image of a prime minister who had been widely lauded for lifting Malaysia out of poverty and achieving stunning successes in national development.

However, the Asian economic crisis that began in 1997 pushed Malaysia into a recession.

Anwar advocated Western-style economic reforms, but Mahathir broke with him in September, introducing currency controls that were criticized by foreign investors but that appear to have steadied the country’s economy.

In addition to appointing Abdullah, Mahathir also promoted Daim Zainuddin, 59, among his most trusted advisors, from economic chief to finance minister, a position that Anwar had also held.