Malaysia's trade minister has pledged not to challenge Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in party polls, easing pressure on the embattled leader and clearing at least some of the confusion gripping the country's politics. International Trade and Industry Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said he would seek to remain vice president in the United Malays National Organization polls in December and would not stand for party president. The post of Malaysian prime minister has been filled by the president of UMNO, the dominant party in the ruling National Front coalition, since independence in 1957. “I feel it is most appropriate for me to defend my post of vice president so that I can play a role in facilitating the transition of power,” Muhyiddin said in a statement issued late Sunday. Abdullah, the current party president, has sought to stave off calls for his resignation after a major setback in March general elections by promising to hand over power to his deputy, Najib Razak, in two years. Najib has made it clear he will be happy to take the top job in 2010 and will not challenge Abdullah in December. Muhyiddin said he has accepted Abdullah's plan, backtracking on his earlier public criticism. Some party dissidents have called for the prime minister to step down this year over the election debacle. “If I was seen as outspoken and firm in my criticism, believe me, it was never my intention to go against the leadership,” he said. “The comments were made with transparency and sincerity because I want UMNO to remain strong, empowered and credible.” Muhyiddin's decision strengthens Abdullah's position and somewhat clarifies which senior lawmakers support his continued rule. A sole contender for the party president remains – veteran lawmaker Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Under party rules, at least one-third of party division leaders must back Razaleigh's nomination if he is to be allowed to contest the party leadership. The party is divided into 19 geographical divisions. It remains to be seen if delegates who wanted Muhyiddin to stand against Abdullah will instead support Razaleigh when the monthlong voting process starts in October. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim remains the main threat to Abdullah's rule with his vow to topple the government by mid-September through parliamentary defections. His People's Alliance coalition holds 82 of Parliament's 222 seats. Anwar is scheduled to contest a by-election soon for a seat vacated by his wife. But Anwar's own situation is precarious. In June, one of Anwar's aides accused him of sodomy, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison in this Muslim-majority country. Anwar has dismissed the accusation as part of a political conspiracy to stop him from becoming prime minister – an aspiration he held in the late 1990s until he was fired as deputy prime minister and jailed on corruption and sodomy convictions. That sodomy conviction was later overturned and Anwar was released from prison in 2004.
