KUALA LUMPUR, June 25: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s chosen successor who will take over the post next year, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is often called “Mr Nice Guy”.

But he faces a huge task in convincing the nation that he is up to the top job, which has been held with supreme authority by Mahathir for 21 years.

Mahathir’s United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party on Tuesday announced that Abdullah would succeed the premier after an summit meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in October 2003.

Abdullah, 62, was appointed deputy premier in February 1999 to replace Mahathir’s charismatic former deputy Anwar Ibrahim, who was sacked and jailed in September 1998 on sex and corruption charges.

Mahathir hand-picked Abdullah, who had been a strong opponent of Anwar within the ruling UMNO, urging members not to contest the position during party elections.

The top two leaders of UMNO traditionally assume the posts of premier and deputy premier.

Abdullah, who is also UMNO vice president, told a news conference after the announcement: “The (UMNO) supreme council supports (Mahathir’s) decision one hundred percent.

“Throughout the time-frame there will be a smooth transition of power but for now he is still the prime minister.

“If there were any speculations of a jostle for power, it didn’t take place.”

The 76-year-old leader, who has been in power for 21 years, stunned Malaysians Saturday with a tearful resignation announcement at the end of UMNO’s annual assembly, although party leaders later said he had agreed to stay on.

“If Mahathir had actually resigned, Abdullah would have been the new prime minister. There is no dispute about it,” said Lim Kit Siang, chairman of the opposition ethnic Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP).

“But the only question is whether Abdullah can uphold the premiership with authority or whether he will be challenged from inside UMNO,” he told AFP.

Lim said if Abdullah failed to perform up to expectations, he could be challenged by the three vice presidents of UMNO — Najib Razak, Muhammad Muhammad Taib and Muhyiddin Yassin.

Lim’s caution is based on the fact that three of Mahathir’s previous deputies have perished politically.

Abdullah joined the civil service in the 1960s and, after catching the eye of UMNO leaders, became a member of parliament in 1978 in the Kepala Batas constituency in northern Penang state.—AFP