Abdullah not leaving office because he wants to,.but because he has to.

Abdullah Badawi said he had not been forced out.

Malaysia's fifth prime minister is not leaving office in March 2009 because he wants to. He is leaving because he has to.

There are still a few months to go but the epitaph will not be kind.

"He was weak, he was reluctant to do things which he should've done," says Chandra Muzaffar, a political analyst and academic.

"There is, I think, a personality factor at play - the reluctance on his part to antagonise people, to do things which a reform-minded prime minister will have to," he says.

Najib Razak, the man who is almost certain to succeed him has been groomed for the job from the day he was born.

Najib Razak is the son of Malaysia's second prime minister. He has been in parliament since his early 20s.

He comes from a family of political aristocrats that produced two of the country's last five leaders.

Respected for his sharp intellect and unflappable demeanor, Najib was always expected to take power someday. But he will do so sooner than predicted in an effort to restore the ruling coalition's fortunes after a calamitous performance in March general elections.

"He's a natural successor. ... Najib has moved up the political ladder. He has the experience, faced the challenges. He is a very polished politician, well-trained, well-exposed," said Mohamad Mustafa Ishak, a political analyst at Universiti Utara Malaysia.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim told the BBC:

"People expect him to be tougher,"

"The government under Najib will be ruthless."

He believes that little will change come next year when the handover takes place.

"Nothing is resolved, he is surrendering to a person who is badly tarnished," he told BBC.

That is a reference to sensational claims that the deputy prime minister was involved in the murder of a woman.

His close associate, Abdul Razak Baginda, was arrested and charged in 2006 with abetting the murder of a Mongolian woman after having an affair with her. Two policemen were charged with killing her and destroying her body with explosives.

Najib Razak has strongly denied the allegation.

In a recent survey of 1,000 people polled in telephone interviews by the independent Merdeka Center research group, only 40% believed that Najib would make a good prime minister, while 44% disagreed and the others were undecided. The center said the margin of error was 3%.

With an invigorated opposition threatening to take power, the prime minister and his government resorted to desperate acts.

An opposition member of parliament, a journalist and a prominent blogger were arrested and detained under strict security laws. They were deemed a threat to national security.

Anwar Ibrahim is facing a trail for sodomy, an accusation many believe is fabricated and politically motivated.

But the cracks are showing. Malaysia has never had a government this unpopular. Abdullah has said that he will leave office early but he refuses to resign. Najib Tun Razak, his deputy, is congenial enough but he is no leader. And then there's Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar is offering himself as head of an alternative government, but he is proving to be politically incompetent. He announced that the Government would fall on September 16, because by then he thought he'd have the numbers — enough MPs prepared to leave the Government and join the Opposition. The day came and nothing happened. The golden rule of politics? Don't telegraph your punches, just punch.

Anwar has a lot of baggage too, so, at a time when Malaysia needs clever leadership more than ever, the sad choice is between who stinks less.

Malaysia is at a "historic crossroads" the prime minister said as he announced his departure.

"We must reform and mature," he added.

Now that responsibility will fall to someone else. The era of the man known affectionately as Pak Lah, meaning Uncle, is almost over.


Press Release from YAB Prime Minister of Malaysia

1. I have been in public service for over 45 years. I have served this country as a civil servant, and as an elected representative of the people. I have served as a member of government and feel blessed to serve in the highest office in the land. I have seen this country grow from a small, poor nation into the modern, prosperous Malaysia that we live in today.

2. Despite our successful track record, for the past few years I have firmly believed that our nation is standing at an historic crossroads. We must reform some elements of our nation, we must evolve and mature, or we risk losing all that we have gained in over 50 years. Throughout this time of reform and transformation, we Malaysians need to be united now more than ever before.

3. In all my years of service, I have always been guided by my conscience. I have always placed the interests of the nation above all else. It is with this in mind that I announce I will not stand for the Presidency of UMNO. I do not want a divided party and governing coalition, but one that is united and harmonious. A united Barisan Nasional is vital in order for the country to face the global challenges ahead and for Malaysia to become a fully developed nation, with prosperity and fairness for all.

4. My current term as President of UMNO ends in March next year. There are several initiatives I intend to see through before I leave office. These initiatives are important because they are necessary to move our country forward. These initiatives are needed to regain our country's competitiveness. They are necessary to enable our nation and our society to face the challenges that the world has in store for us. I ask all Malaysians to unite and join me in working towards making Malaysia a better place.

5. First, our institutions need to be reformed and strengthened.

i) The judiciary needs to enhance its stature and credibility in the eyes of the public. Before I end my term, I will table a Parliamentary Bill to establish a Judicial Appointments Commission. Such a Commission will propose judicial appointments in a transparent and merit-based manner.

ii) We also need a strong and effective anti-corruption body that can combat the cancer of corruption without fear or favour. Before the end of the year, I will table a Parliamentary Bill to establish the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, with greater powers of investigation and enforcement. The Commission's oversight structure has been modelled after the successful ICAC in Hong Kong.

iii) I also intend to complete the establishment of a Special Complaints Commission to enhance the integrity and effectiveness of enforcement agencies.

6. Second, I have long spoken about the need to ensure that the fruits of growth are more equitably distributed. In the recent Budget, I explained the government's commitment to strengthening and enlarging the Social Safety Net.

We will speed up work on this front to help poor and disadvantaged Malaysians, regardless of background, race or religion.

I will also work to ensure that tangible results can begin to be enjoyed in Iskandar, as well as the development corridor initiatives around the country.

7. Third, I would like to see the Government and Barisan renew their commitment towards building a united and harmonious nation.

Society has seen an alarming decline in inter-racial and inter-religious relations. Various issues have cropped up which threaten to tear the very fabric of Malaysian life.

We need to tackle these issues head-on, through dialogue; deal with the issues constructively and even-handedly; ensure greater clarity and certainty for the people; and focus on the points that unite us, rather than the points that divide us.

For this reason, I will convene a BN Convention early next year. This is a long-term effort that I hope to kick-start and continue to contribute towards.

I fully intend to see through my mission, and I am sure that my successor will carry on this agenda.

I want to hand over to my successor a Malaysia that is capable of weathering the challenges of a dangerous global economy, a Malaysia not of rich and poor, of young and old or of the city or the kampung (village), not of south and north, and not of one religion or another but of unity and harmony.

This is not the time for infighting and narrow politics but for greatness, unity and cooperation.