Malaysians who criticize their leaders while overseas are guilty of treason because they could deter foreign investors, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Sunday.
He was referring to attempts by supporters of jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim to keep his case in the international spotlight.
Anwar's successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said separately that police would investigate a statement by Mohamad Ezam Mohamed Nor that he had criticized Mahathir overseas about the case.
Ezam is youth chief of the National Justice Party founded by Anwar's wife.
Mahathir, speaking in the Brunei capital of Bandar Seri Begawan, said attempts by some Malaysians to discredit national leaders abroad would not hurt these leaders but the people.
Such acts could be regarded as "treason" because they could cause investors to lose interest in Malaysia, the official Bernama news agency quoted him as saying at a lunch with members of the Malaysian community.
"Such acts should not be done by Malaysians because any act like this will not have any effect on the government leaders. But if the nation's economy does not grow rapidly, the people will suffer," he said.
Mahathir criticised a move by Anwar's supporters to hire a US public relations firm to highlight Anwar's case.
"Doing something to discredit one's own country is treason to the country no matter what their frustration is," he said.
Abdullah, speaking in the northern Malaysian state of Penang, said police would investigate two complaints against Ezam following his admission that he had criticized Mahathir in the United States and Europe.
"We'll leave it to the police to investigate. If there are grounds, he'll be charged," he told reporters. It was not clear what the charge might be.
Ezam told AFP last week he met aides to powerful Republican Senator Jesse Helms and members of the conservative Heritage Foundation during a recent US trip to solicit support for Anwar.
But he said he was not seeking trade sanctions against Malaysia since these would be counter-productive.
Last Thursday the Singapore Straits Times said Anwar's backers had engaged Washington-based Janus Meritt Strategy in August under a four-month retainer fee for 50,000 dollars. It did not say who the backers were.
Officials from the National Justice Party and from another pro-Anwar group said they were not involved in hiring the firm.
Anwar was sacked by Mahathir on September 2, 1998 and arrested 18 days later following mass anti-government rallies.
In April 1999 Anwar was jailed for six years for abuse of power and in August was imprisoned for nine years for sodomy. The sentences will run consecutively, meaning he will be in jail until 2014 unless granted the customary one-third remission.
Anwar says Mahathir orchestrated a conspiracy to frame him because he was seen as a political threat. The government denies any plot and says Anwar received a fair trial -- KUALA LUMPUR (AFP)
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