Dr Mahathir has three kinds of people cushioning and serving him in his career. The three loose groupings have a pecking order.

The group closest to him — and consequently the most powerful and benefitting — is, I believe, until today not totally identified. The most famous face there had been was Daim Zainuddin.

They have the premier's innermost ear, go back a long way with him and are his equal in many ways.

Then, there are the true believers and the biggest devotees of Dr M's charisma and who regard him as a genuine Malay hero. People like Sanusi Junid and Megat Junid were at one time ready to call black, white if Mahathir said so.

The lowest in the pecking order is the third group, people who have no history with Dr M and some of whom have even opposed him in the past.

They're back in the fold for purely practical reasons, and outdo each other in doing the dirty work. The more 'inventive' and ruthless one is, the greater the chance of hanging around the periphery of power in these, shall we say, uncertain times.

Rais Yatim is today's star in this group (Previous alumni have included Mohamad Rahmat).

Rais is educated and more slick than his predecessors. He has shown that for him, like his boss, nothing is written in stone — not the constitution, parliament, traditions. Everything is on the table in the raging battle for power in Malaysia.

Dr M must love this guy. He is bold, in-your-face, totally unapologetic and not even mildly remorseful when he wields the whip. He has no qualms about heavy-handed use of the weapons at his disposal.

What does Rais want? I'm sure that's a question bugging a lot of politicians on his side as they look ahead to 2002.