In June 2002, Malaysia's Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, surprised the world by offering to step down from power.

In tears, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister offered to turn over the reigns to his fourth deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, affectionately known as 'Pak Lah'.

For the last year, Malaysia has been in transition mode, as politicians, businessmen and ordinary citizens alike prepare for new leadership.

As power transitions go, this one is very stable and drawn out, reflecting the high level of control that Mahathir has managed to consolidate during his 22-year tenure.

He stewarded the transition in much the same manner as he governed Malaysia over the last few years, with calculating management.

In assessing the political dynamics in Malaysia, it is important to recognise that a number of parties in both the governing coalition, the Barisan Nasional (BN or National Front), and in the opposition are undergoing leadership changes.

Besides Umno, two major parties, MCA and PAS have changed leaders in the past year, each with different ripple political effects on the system.

Another opposition party, Keadilan has merged with Parti Rakyat Malaysia, to become Parti Keadilan Rakyat. This has affected the middle ranks of leadership within the party.

This trend of leadership transitions is likely to continue over the next few years. After all, six of the 20 longest-serving party leaders in the world are Malaysian.