Abdullah may strengthen grip under rule changes

Abdullah may strengthen grip under rule changes

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia's Deputy Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has improved his chances of becoming the next prime minister after ruling party leaders endorsed proposals to delay internal elections, politicians and analysts said Tuesday.

The Supreme Council of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), chaired by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, agreed late Monday that elections for the council and for top party officers would be held just once during a parliamentary term.

The party, whose president and deputy president are automatically also prime minister and deputy premier, will hold a special general assembly Nov. 18 to debate the proposed changes to the UMNO constitution.

If approved they would mean that party leadership elections in 2003 would be scrapped -- meaning that Abdullah cannot face any direct challenge to his post from within the party until after the next general election.

Mahathir, aged 74 and in power since 1981, said after the November 1999 election that this would be his last parliamentary term in office. General elections must be held at least every five years but can be held sooner.

In May, UMNO's general assembly re-elected Mahathir as party president and chose Abdullah as deputy president after accepting controversial advice from the Supreme Council that there should be no contest for the two top posts in the interest of unity.

Under the party's existing constitution, leadership elections are held every three years.

Despite his status as heir apparent, the 60-year-old Abdullah is seen as lacking a strong powerbase in the party which has ruled as part of a coalition since independence in 1957.

Malacca Chief Minister and Supreme Council member Ali Rustam confirmed that the amendments, if approved, mean there will be no more elections for senior party posts till after the next general election.

He said the aim was to concentrate UMNO's energies on national development without the distraction of party polls.

"Dr Mahathir is trying to show to Malaysia that Abdullah is capable of replacing him," said Mohammad Agus Yusoff, a political science lecturer at the National University of Malaysia.

"UMNO is finding a formula to strengthen the position of Pak Lah (a nickname for Abdullah)."

Mohammad Agus said there had been considerable disagreement behind the scenes over Monday's Supreme Council decision but people "seem not to have been brave enough" to express it.

"It's not yet finalized," he said, referring to the Nov. 18 general assembly.

An UMNO official said the proposal would give Abdullah more time to build up his standing in UMNO.

"It will definitely strengthen his position. It's also a message to party delegates to take the elections seriously as it's going to be held only every four or five years," he said.

The Supreme Council agreed that party elections would be held within a year after future general elections. It rejected a suggestion to broaden the franchise for the party elections to some 30,000 members, instead of only some 2,000 delegates currently.