Malaysia's Abdullah warns party to change

Malaysia's outgoing leader warned that the ruling party would perish if it continued with its old autocratic ways of silencing critics, jailing opponents and discriminating against minorities.

"We must come to our senses," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a farewell speech to the annual congress of his United Malays National Organisation Party.

"UMNO faces a life-and-death situation - one that concerns our future and survival.

" Abdullah, who is the party president, handed over the post to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak last night. Najib will also take over the Prime Minister's job from Abdullah next week.