news feature Prime Minister-in-waiting Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is not likely to name his choice for the No 2 post soon because to do so could well be construed as an attempt to usurp the authority and might of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

A wrong move by Abdullah blessed with a shining star in recent years will jeorpardise the smooth power transition next year when he will become prime minister taking over from his mentor who would have served for 22 years by then.

By all accounts, Abdullah has been a loyal deputy to Mahathir. Having served barely three years as deputy prime minister, he has earned the trust of Mahathir. The 76-year-old Mahathir is now ready to pass the baton to his immensely loyal deputy, 15 months from now.

The hand-over is scheduled for October next year after Mahathir chairs the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Kuala Lumpur.

Abdullah, popularly known as Pak Lah, would be wise to watch his steps now. It has been said that Mahathir possesses the knack of putting "political speculators" , particularly those in Umno, to shame by doing exactly the opposite of popular demand just to spite the rumour-mongers.

"Malaysia Boleh" (Malaysia Can) is a reputation the country has earned not for nothing. Simply put, it means, anything goes in Malaysia. And Mahathir, of course, is the leader.

Now Pak Lah must tread carefully, strategise correctly and learn to do the 'right" thing at the "right" time just like his mentor.

Unambitious, restraint, patience

Such attributes are tested and proven to prolong one's hold on to power it is the success story of how a controversial leader like Mahathir had been able to stay at the top for over two decades, making him the longest serving leader in Asia today.

Pak Lah may appear to be "unambitious, restrained and patient", but few doubt he would want it any other way. He has waited too long to get to where he is now. Others before him, such as jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, were said to be too impatient to get to the top.

And one would be simply too naive to think that anyone who play politics are in the "unambitious category". You will not be in politics if you don't love power.

A month after Mahathir's quit shocker in June, the country was rife with speculation that Pak Lah was planning to announce his deputy after the Pendang and Anak Bukit by-elections.

The mainstream media, in an attempt to pave the way for the announcement, launched several personality pieces on the three hopefuls former Selangor Menteri Besar Muhammad Muhd Taib, Defense Minister Najib Tun Razak and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin who are currently the three Umno vice-presidents.

Najib a possible choice

Speculations intensified when Mahathir, on several occasions, implied that Najib was possibly the right person for the job.

The possibility became clearer when political observers noted that Najib was appearing more visible in the political arena, notably, after Mahathir's trip to the White House, where the former accompanied the Malaysian leader.

Najib's name appears high on the list for various reasons ranging from his family background (he was former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein's son) to his experience at state and federal level plus his ability to garner support from Umno rank-and-file having enjoyed three terms as vice-president.

But Pak Lah is no political novice. He knows that acceding to Mahathir's "choice" on the new No 2 will lead to more negative talks about him and worse, confirm all that had been said: that he (Pak Lah) was a mere follower, spineless, and worst of all "having no mind of his own".

He may be able to deal with the name-calling as it is common in politics but there is a bigger evil he is not prepared to deal with, not at this juncture, at least: a potent power struggle within the ranks of Umno.

To avoid power struggle

To name his deputy now will not please the other contenders, for sure. Also, the coming general election is around the corner, and a power struggle within Umno is something Pak Lah may not be able to handle, just yet.

In politics, one gains support when one is on the way to the top, not the other way around. And in Umno, a power struggle can be 'deadly'. The 1998 Anwar fiasco can serve as a sharp reminder to those who have short memories.

Umno has just recovered from a few nasty years where support for its leaders had dwindled sharply and there was a significant shift of Malay support for the opposition in the last elections.

Pak Lah would be a fool to risk it all now for the sheer pleasure of proving his mettle. Going by his normal working style (he has never been known to pre-empt anything that Mahathir does), Pak Lah will name his deputy once the "coast is clear".

And this could mean only one thing. Pak Lah will wait until his boss steps down next October to announce his choice of a new deputy prime minister.