Malaysia junior minister quits in new blow to PM

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian deputy minister became the third junior minister to quit this month, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after his ruling coalition suffered a severe setback at March 8 polls.

Ghapur Salleh, who was deputy environment minister, submitted his resignation to Abdullah on Wednesday, state news agency Bernama reported.

But he was quoted as saying that he would remain as a lawmaker in Abdullah's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the dominant party in the coalition, dismissing talk that he would defect to the opposition.

Asked why he decided to quit, eight days after accepting the post, the 64-year-old Ghapur said: "I don't want to be tied down with the duties of a deputy minister."

The minor parties of Sabah and Sarawak ensured Abdullah's Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition clung to power in the election, which gave UMNO the fright of its life.

Ghapur is the second member of parliament from Sabah and the third deputy minister to quit since the election, Bernama said.

De facto opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim told Reuters last week that ruling-party lawmakers were willing to defect to the opposition, threatening to drag down the government.

The opposition said it was not certain why Ghapur resigned.

"One reason might be that he is dissatisfied with the post. What other plans he has I really don't know," said Syed Husin Ali, the deputy chief of Anwar's People's Justice Party. "So far he has not applied."

Barisan suffered the heaviest setback in its near-unbroken 50-year reign since independence in this month's election.

It lost its two-thirds majority in the federal parliament -- the level required to changed the constitution -- and surrendered an unprecedented five states to the opposition, including its industrial heartlands.

(Reporting by Yoko Nishikawa and Naveen Thukral; Editing by Jalil Hamid and Alex Richardson)

((yoko.nishikawa@reuters.com; +603-2333-8035; Reuters messaging: yoko.nishikawa.reuters.com@reuters.net)