Malaysia ruling UMNO lawmakers close ranks behind PM

By Jalil Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Lawmakers from the ruling UMNO closed ranks behind Malaysia's prime minister on Tuesday, while the son of former premier Mahathir Mohamad also ignored his calls for members to follow him in leaving the party.

Mahathir had resigned from the party on Monday in an attempt to force his handpicked successor to quit, saying he would not return to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) until Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi left office.

Mahathir's move sparked talk of mass resignations from UMNO by his supporters and fears of political turmoil, but Malaysia's domestic trade minister said after a special meeting between MPs and the premier that no party members were resigning.

"Nobody is moving out of UMNO... none of us is leaving UMNO," said Shahrir Samad, after the meeting attended by 73 out of 79 UMNO lawmakers.

One minister criticised Mahathir's move as blackmail.

"Nobody, no matter how big he is, can use dirty tactics to bring down somebody who is democratically elected," said Minister in the Prime Minister's office, Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz.

"It is not something that we condone. It is blackmailing the party."

Abdullah declined to speak to reporters after the meeting. UMNO members said an MP from southern Johor state, Mohamad Aziz, stood up to pledge support on behalf of fellow lawmakers for the premier, who has rejected Mahathir's call to step down.