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Mahathir marks 20 years in power



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                    Mahathir marks 20 years in power

The Asian Age (New Delhi)
July 18, 2001

Kuala Lumpur, July 17:Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohammad commemorated
20 years in power on Monday, while 37 people were reportedly charged for
protesting outside a detention camp where leading Opposition activists
were being held.

The milestone put Mr. Mahathir, 75, in the same ruling longevity club as
Mr. Fidel Castro of Cuba and several African Leaders.

Asia's longest serving elected leader has discouraged celebrations of
his two decades in power, and there was little comment on the
anniversary by the pro-government mainstream press.

"I think I may have made some mistakes, but I can't regret the decisions
that I have made although they may have been unpopular. I believe I did
those things for the good of the country, " he said. He also hoped for a
stable Malaysia that would "grow strongly."

Growth and stability were hallmarks of his rule until 1998, when the
Asian economic crisis struck and his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, was jailed.
The former finance minister, popular among Muslim Malays, is serving a
15-year jail term on sex and graft charges that he said were
manufactured to thwart his challenge to Mr. Mahathir.

Mr. Mahathir is the last survivor of a formidable generation of
South-East Asian strongmen, which included Mr. Lee Kuan Yew of
Singapore, Mr. Suharto of Indonesia and Ferdinand Marcos of the
Philippines.

A newspaper columnist, Karim Raslan, said Mr. Mahathir's realization
that he isn't popular enough to have a successful jubilee. (Reuters)



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<center><b><font color="#000099"><font size=+1>Mahathir marks 20 years
in power</font></font></b></center>

<p><i><font color="#FF0000"><font size=+1>The Asian Age (New Delhi)</font></font></i>
<br><i><font color="#FF0000"><font size=+1>July 18, 2001</font></font></i>
<p><font size=+1>Kuala Lumpur, July 17:Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohammad
commemorated 20 years in power on Monday, while 37 people were reportedly
charged for protesting outside a detention camp where leading Opposition
activists were being held.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The milestone put Mr. Mahathir, 75, in the same ruling
longevity club as Mr. Fidel Castro of Cuba and several African Leaders.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Asia's longest serving elected leader has discouraged
celebrations of his two decades in power, and there was little comment
on the anniversary by the pro-government mainstream press.</font>
<p><font size=+1>"I think I may have made some mistakes, but I can't regret
the decisions that I have made although they may have been unpopular. I
believe I did those things for the good of the country, " he said. He also
hoped for a stable Malaysia that would "grow strongly."</font>
<p><font size=+1>Growth and stability were hallmarks of his rule until
1998, when the Asian economic crisis struck and his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim,
was jailed. The former finance minister, popular among Muslim Malays, is
serving a 15-year jail term on sex and graft charges that he said were
manufactured to thwart his challenge to Mr. Mahathir.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Mr. Mahathir is the last survivor of a formidable generation
of South-East Asian strongmen, which included Mr. Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore,
Mr. Suharto of Indonesia and Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines.</font>
<p><font size=+1>A newspaper columnist, Karim Raslan, said Mr. Mahathir's
realization that he isn't popular enough to have a successful jubilee.
(Reuters)</font>
<p>&nbsp;</html>

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