Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to quit next March

"I am now announcing I will not seek the presidency of UMNO in the upcoming elections. I want a party that is united," he told a press conference.

"I will hand over power to... Najib after he wins the election at the general assembly. I am sure he will win," he said.

"There will be a transition of power after the new president of UMNO is decided upon."

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he plans to step down in March, 12 months into a five-year term, as his weakened ruling coalition tries to repel a resurgent opposition's attempts to take power.

Abdullah, 68, won't defend his post as head of the United Malays National Organisation, the largest group in the alliance, at next year's party elections, he said today in Kuala Lumpur. He plans to hand over to his deputy, Najib Razak.

Abdullah has been under intense pressure to quit since leading the Barisan Nasional coalition to its worst polls performance in half a century, losing a third of parliamentary seats and five states to the opposition.

The government also faces an emboldened opposition led by Anwar Ibrahim, who says he has gained support from enough ruling coalition lawmakers to topple the government. Abdullah and Najib have rejected that claim and called Anwar's campaign for power, including a pledge to scrap Malaysia's preferential policies for the ethnic Malay majority, a threat to the multiethnic country's economy and security.

To remain as prime minister until the party elections, Abdullah will still have to fend off a possible vote of confidence. Last month, with parliament in recess, Anwar demanded an emergency session to vote against Abdullah and his administration. The prime minister refused and said Anwar would have to wait until the house resumes on Oct. 13.

A frenzy of meetings in his office yesterday, a chain SMS and support from an unlikely source have convinced many people that Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will change his mind and signal his intention to defend his party president's position.

Such is the speculation that even Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's camp sent out feelers to find out if Abdullah had a change of heart about stepping down as party president and prime minister in March, as prescribed by a transition plan.

A few corporate captains, who have been moving closer to Najib since the transition plan was endorsed a fortnight ago, also sought to hedge their bets by touching base with those in Abdullah's circle.

Yesterday, there was intense pressure on him to contest the top post in Umno.

An uninterrupted stream of visitors - including Umno division chiefs, party operatives and his staunch supporters - met him at his office in Putrajaya to persuade him to stay on, arguing that he would be able to get the 58 nominations to defend the president's position and have a good chance of defeating Najib or any other challenger.

Some of them were motivated by self-interest, fearing that his retirement would mean the loss of a benefactor and protector in the Umno election season. Others were troubled by the manner the transition plan was cobbled together by Najib and others on the supreme council and the willingness by some party officials to blame Abdullah for everything that has gone wrong with Umno and Barisan Nasional.

A text message has been going around urging his supporters to gather outside his official residence at 8am to provide him with moral support as he heads off for his weekly meeting with his ministers. It noted that Abdullah’s hesitance to commit to any decision despite being pressed by reporters on Monday and Tuesday was a sign that he was staying on.

Dr Mahathir wrote in his blog:

The UMNO General Assembly which will this time elect the members of the Supreme Council has now been postponed to March 2009, three months later.

This, I am told, is at the insistence of Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He is said to need this time in order to put the country right. This includes eradicating poverty, judicial and legal reforms, social reforms and something about Islam Hadhari.

He had had five years to do all these but everyone knows nothing has been accomplished by him. Now he says he will do all these in three months. Can we believe he can? Can we believe these are the real reasons why he will not go until March 2009, only three months after the originally scheduled General Assembly?



It is said that on 9th October, the day before the divisions are to hold their meetings, he will announce that he will not stand for election as President of UMNO. The question is, will he announce it? I have this suspicion that he will not. If he does not it would not be surprising. He is not a man of his words.

There really is no reason for this extension unless it is because of a possibility to influence the divisions into countering the Supreme Council and its demand that Abdullah steps down. In which case the extension may be further extended. Already SMS messages are denouncing Najib.

So, what say you Dr M ?