Supporters of jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim pledged today to press ahead with a month-long series of demonstrations despite being barred from holding a rally over the weekend.

The police action showed that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who took over from veteran leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Oct 31, was afraid of changing the government's hard line attitude towards dissent, the organisers said.

Abdullah pledged in his first speech to parliament to ensure that democracy and transparency thrived in Malaysia, and Anwar's supporters said they had decided to stage the demonstrations to "test" his commitment.

About 1,000 people who had turned up to attend a meeting in the western port town of Klang on Sunday were barred from entering the hall, Keadilan vice-president Tian Chua told AFP.

Police locked the doors, but "we went ahead and held a two-hour rally outside the hall," he said. Two demonstrators were arrested, but later released.

"What happened last night shows that the regime under Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has not changed, he is continuing with Mahathir's style.

"The real test is how much he can tolerate civil society and open protests. But yesterday's incident confirms that Abdullah hasn't got the courage to reform," Tian said.

Political gatherings in Malaysia require a police permit. Tian said police had initially approved a permit early Sunday but later withdrew it.

No changes

The secretary-general of the National Human Rights Society, Elizabeth Wong, told AFP the police action proved that nothing has changed in Malaysia since Mahathir retired after 22 years in power.

"From our experience in the last two months, nothing has changed. All his (Abdullah's) promises are just rhetoric. It does not suprise us a bit," she said.

Wong said the world was watching to see what Abdullah would do about Anwar, who is considered a political prisoner by the United States and Amnesty International.

"Anwar is the litmus test for Abdullah," she said.

Anwar was sacked by Mahathir in 1998 and later sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison for corruption and sodomy in what he says was a move to prevent him from making a challenge for the premiership.

His supporters have expressed the hope that with Mahathir's retirement Anwar could be released, and at the very least they want him freed on bail before elections expected within the next few months.

Cross-country convoy

Tian pledged that Keadilan, headed by Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and the Free Anwar Movement would continue as planned with a cross-country convoy of up to a hundred vehicles handing out leaflets calling for Anwar's freedom.

The month-long event is due to culminate in a mass rally in Anwar's home state of Penang on Feb 14.

The first convoy, of some 25 cars, was blocked by police in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday and protesters were ordered to take down flags and posters.

Police told the drivers to disperse but after the column broke in two they continued their journey, followed by police, according to Badrul Hisham Shahrin of the Free Anwar Movement.

"What we are hoping, after 22 years of authoritarian rule under Mahathir, is for free breathing space, to express ourselves freely without fear of crackdown. We will continue to put pressure on Abdullah to implement that change," Tian said. - AFP