BUTTERWORTH - MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi yesterday rejected critics' claims that he deserved to lose in this week's general election for being a poor leader who sleeps on the job.

He insisted that his time in office since October 2003 has 'not been a time of failure, but of success', citing steady economic growth and bolstered job opportunities under his government.

The opposition has urged voters not to hand Datuk Seri Abdullah another five-year mandate in Saturday's general election, claiming that crime, corruption and racial and religious tensions have mounted because of his weak leadership.

'We are not deaf for we hear what the people say,' Datuk Seri Abdullah said. 'We are not asleep for we are working.'

Opposition rivals have accused the Prime Minister of being a 'sleeping PM' who dozes off at Cabinet meetings, while anti-government websites have circulated photographs of him bowing his head with his eyes closed at political gatherings.

Datuk Seri Abdullah, speaking while campaigning in Penang, acknowledged that 'problems will be there', but pledged that his administration would try to resolve any grievances.

He cited a list of the government's achievements over the past four years, including raising the country's growth rate to 6.3 per cent last year, implementing the regional economic development corridor plans and reducing the poverty rate to 0.3 per cent.

Datuk Seri Abdullah also criticised the opposition's proposal to give each household earning less than RM500 (S$220) an annual bonus of RM6,000.

'We cannot give people fish for a lifetime,' he said.

'The creation of a welfare state will make people lazy. Instead, we should give them the confidence and know-how to participate in the country's economy.'

On the issue of fuel price increases, which has raised voters' ire, he said the government was not in favour of giving people money outright to cushion the effects of such increases.

'If we give them money, they will quickly spend it, contributing to inflation. But what the government does is to introduce policies and measures for people to generate more income to reduce their financial burden,'he said.

The government yesterday also warned that profits from state-owned oil company Petronas could not be used to keep fuel prices low as Malaysia's oil and gas reserves would run out by 2011.

Among other election promises, opposition parties have pledged to give voters fuel price cuts.

But Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop said yesterday that Petronas needed funds to explore overseas markets and to provide the government with financing for other subsidies.

The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition is expected to retain power, but with a lower parliamentary majority, in the polls.

BERNAMA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE