Malaysia's ruling party rallies behind PM

KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Reuters) Malaysia's main ruling party backed its leader today in the row with ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad, whose stinging attacks on his successor have raised worries of political instability.

But the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), declaring its stand on the issue for the first time did not censure Mahathir for his outburst against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

''The Supreme Council unanimously fully supports Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership as prime minister and UMNO president,'' Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said after a meeting of the party's decision-making arm.

The blunt-speaking Mahathir was prime minister and UMNO chief for 22 years before handing over power to Abdullah, dubbed ''Mr Nice Guy'', in late 2003.

Mahathir is angry at Abdullah for shelving or scrapping some major projects that had been conceived towards the end of his 22-year rule.

Last month, he said the government had sold out Malaysian sovereignty and lacked ''guts'' after it scrapped a planned bridge to neighbouring Singapore because the island state objected.

UMNO is the bedrock of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, which has ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957.

Politically dominant ethnic Malays account for just over half of Malaysia's 26 million people.

There had been speculation that UMNO could censure Mahathir for his attacks on Abdullah, but Abdullah told reporters the government would respond only to points raised by Mahathir.

Abdullah's cabinet ministers and leaders of other Barisan component parties had rallied behind Abdullah in the wake of Mahathir's criticism, made at a news conference on June 7.

Abdullah himself had chosen to maintain a silence over the attacks, saying that his record speaks for itself.

He said he wanted to focus on fulfilling the mandate of the people who overwhelmingly backed his government in the 2004 general election.

REUTERS SHB RN1453