The second round of the political tussle between Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad is probably the most important and decisive one.

According to Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, this round will determine whether the Abdullah premiership will last the full distance.

"This is because it is the battle for the hearts and minds of Umno which will decide the tenure and duration of Abdullah's leadership," he said in a statement over the weekend.

"I understand that Mahathir has been invited to officiate at several Umno divisional general meetings next month," he added without elaborating.

Lim warned that if Abdullah failed to realise the grave challenge posed to his premiership and allows the impression that he cannot satisfactorily response to it, his fragile hold on Umno loyalties will be broken.

Umno stalwarts throughout the country will not want to bet on the 'wrong horse' in the final showdown which appears to be unavoidable, said the veteran politician.

"The most effective way for Abdullah to counter the Mahathir challenge is to stay true to his election promises and deliver his 2004 election pledge to reform the government and fight corruption.

"The window of opportunity for Abdullah to deliver his election pledge is closing fast, which in the long run, will undermine his ability to defend and preserve his premiership," he added.

Selective memory

Meanwhile, Lim also commented on the remarks made by Mahathir on Saturday after he returned from a three-week vacation abroad.

The former premier had criticised the current administration for, among others, not being tolerant to criticism.

Mahathir claimed that when he was in office he did not stop Malaysia's first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman from writing 'all sorts of things' and even organising a 10,000-strong demonstration against him.

However, Lim accused the former premier of having 'selective memory'.

"He did not mention the dark years of oppression under his premiership, in particular the 1987 Operation Lallang mass arrests of opposition parliamentarians and leaders, civil society activists as well as closure of newspapers, resulting in the 'silencing' of Tunku Abdul Rahman in the mainstream media," said the DAP leader, who was among those arrested.

While Mahathir continues to complain that his successor's administration has not provided satisfactory answers to his queries, Lim said the former premier must also be accountable for his 22 years in power.

He added that there was a long catalogue of questions posed to Mahathir on the "grave destruction he had wrought to key national institutions".