A group claiming to be supporters of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad have started a blog calling on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down.

Called ' UndurLAH ' or 'withdraw', the blog was launched on Tuesday.

"This is an initiative to garner support via the internet, as well as to collect petitions to urge Abdullah to resign as prime minister," said a source.

The blog currently features two open letters addressed to the King urging him to advise the prime minister to quit.

The letters called on Abdullah to listen to the public who, it claimed, are not satisfied with the actions of the government.

According to the source, all messages and petitions received by the blog is automatically sent to Abdullah's e-mail account "so that the premier can understand the feelings of his people who are finding it increasingly hard to understand his actions."

He said the blog was visited by 200 people in the first 10 hours that it went online and more than 20 messages have been posted.

'Self inflicted'

The blog also featured a strongly-worded letter from its webmaster - known only as 'Sheih' - addressed to Abdullah. Among others, the letter said nobody had 'bribed' or 'forced' them to start this blog.

"The hatred towards Datuk Seri (Abdullah) are because of your attitude and actions. It is 'self inflicted'. Don't try to mock it by saying that we have been possessed by demons.

"The time has come for Datuk Seri to keep quiet for good as we no longer wish to hear any of your words. What we wish is for you to resign immediately before you cause more destruction to this country," read the letter.

"We have no desire to work with you nor do we want you to work for us or with us. What we want is for you to withdraw," it added.

Whereas the open letter addressed to the King stated that Abdullah was unfit to lead the nation due to 30 reasons. Among them:

  • He has failed to keep the promises made in the 2004 election manifesto.

  • He has failed to keep his promise to rid Malaysia of corruption after being appointed as prime minister.

  • He has failed to implement the Royal Police Commission's recommendation to form an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

  • He has failed to defend the nation's sovereignty in bilateral trade agreements.

  • He has failed to defend the good name of Mahathir, an eminent statesman who has contributed much to this nation, from ridicule and insults.

  • He has failed to act against his son-in-law (Khairy Jamaluddin) who hinted that Mahathir was an ape.

  • He has failed to act against his cabinet ministers who were rude towards Mahathir.

  • He himself has insulted Mahathir by indirectly calling him a demon.

  • He has failed to defend the constitutional right to freedom of expression.

  • He has openly lied to the people by making contradictory statements.

  • He has failed to curb the racial sentiments which is continuing to grow because of his son-in-law.

  • He has failed to protect national assets from falling into the hands of foreigners.

  • He has caused the nation to lose millions within a short span of time by withdrawing ongoing projects.

    • Abdullah, who took over the reins from Mahathir in 2003 amid much expectations, is now drawing flak from all quarters for not living up to his promises of greater transparency and openness.

    He is also embroiled in a squabble with Mahathir following his decision to cancel the half-bridge project mooted by the previous administration.

    While the premier has denied this, critics have described his 31-year-old son-in-law as being the nation's 'de facto prime minister'.