Malaysia's reformasi movement has, quite unexpectedly, survived. VINCENT THIAN/AP

There seems to be no relief in sight for Mahathir Mohamad. Even as Malaysia's fiery Prime Minister struggles to shake the economy out of its recession, a coalition of opposition forces is clamoring for his ouster. "If he doesn't resign, he'll be thrown out at the next election," predicts Abdul Manaf, a rice farmer in Mahathir's parliamentary seat of Kubang Pasu, Kedah. After a lifetime of voting for the Prime Minister's United Malays National Organization (UMNO), Manaf says he now supports the opposition Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS). Rising prices are part of the reason, but Manaf, 50, is also upset about the dismissal and subsequent arrest of Mahathir's former deputy Anwar Ibrahim. "If they can treat the No. 2 person like that," he asks, "what about little people like us?"

Malaysia's reformasi movement has, quite unexpectedly, survived. A month after Anwar's arrest, rallies attended by thousands are still being held nearly every day--despite police roadblocks, beatings and arrests. In an unprecedented alliance, the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the fundamentalist PAS--Malaysia's two main opposition parties--have joined a united anti-government front. Against this backdrop, Mahathir, 72, has already conceded that the government's majority is likely to shrink at the next election, which must be held by the year 2000. There is time for further damage control, but the rift over Anwar within the Malay majority will be difficult to heal. "The split is there," says Azmi Abdul Hamid, chairman of the Kedah-based Teras, a trust for the advancement of ethnic Malays. "There's a loss of confidence in the Malay leadership as embodied by UMNO."

Mahathir has survived political crises before, but this time the Malaysian economy is in recession and the government is facing stronger international criticism than in the past. The Indonesian and Philippine presidents have broken the ASEAN code of silence to express concern about Anwar's fate. Unlike the last big UMNO split, in 1987, this one involves ordinary citizens all over the country. "This is bigger than previous crises," says Mahfuz Omar, a member of the PAS central committee and secretariat head of the Malaysian People's Justice Movement (GERAK), one of the two overlapping opposition coalitions.

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R E L A T E D S T O R I E S : TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT Economic woes and Malaysia's controversial detention of Anwar Ibrahim are fraying nerves--and tempers--inside the once oh-so-polite confines of ASEAN INTERVIEW Thailand's unusually assertive Foreign Minister makes the case that engagement isn't meddling

P O L L : Were Philippine President Estrada and Indonesian President Habibie right to speak out against the treatment of Anwar Ibrahim?