Umno today opens a landmark meeting to elect a new leadership and map out its future, one year after disastrous elections that jeopardised its half-century hold on power.

The five-day assembly will be launched with a pre-council speech by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is to step down in favour of his deputy Najib Razak after an unremarkable six years in power.

umno agm 2009 timetable After the closed-door address, Najib will deliver a speech that will be closely watched for signs of where he will take Umno, which has been in crisis since the March 2008 polls.

"The thrust of his speech will be on reform and change, that Umno must change or be changed," the Star daily said in an analysis.

"He will tell his listeners that... if it does not elect a team that has a clean and hard-working image, the party risks being rejected in the next general election," it said.

Up to 2,700 delegates will gather at the party's headquarters to anoint Najib as the new Umno president, and cast their votes for key roles, including deputy president and heads of the Youth and Wanita wings.

In line with Umno custom, Najib is succeeding Abdullah unopposed. The party chief traditionally becomes prime minister, and leader of the Barisan Nasional coalition of race-based parties.

Najib is expected to be sworn into power by the king in the first days of April but no date has been announced, giving rise to speculation that Abdullah may be reluctant to step down.

After emerging from his speech to delegates, the outgoing leader defended the lack of a formal plan.

"I know what I am supposed to do. There is no need to disturb me," he told reporters.

Rafidah Aziz, the former trade minister and Wanita chief, said the changing of the guard would open a new chapter after the elections that handed the opposition control of five states and a third of parliamentary seats.

"It is a landmark in our history because for the first time in our history we suffered such losses. So this is the time when with the new leadership we will be able to see the way forward," she told AFP .

Rafidah: Nothing wrong with Umno

Rafidah said there was "nothing wrong with the party" but that "members and leaders sometimes do things which smear the image of the party, that cause people to have an erosion of confidence in the party."

Najib warned in a weekend interview that there is no guarantee that Umno, which has governed Malaysia since independence half a century ago, will retain its dominant role.

Day 1 - 59th UMNO general assembly He said the party must tackle corruption - a major factor in the electoral drubbing - and the perception that it is arrogant and self-serving.

"This is the most critical time in the history of Umno and BN," he said, calling for "massive changes" to the party and the government.

"We need to undertake reforms, be it in the party or government, as the people have given us the signals in the last general election - to change."

Despite the voices being raised in favour of reform, there are concerns that the party may reject calls for liberalisation and instead choose to shore up its support among conservatives.

Political observers say that recent events, including sedition charges against an opposition veteran for criticising a Malay royal ruler, and the banning of two opposition newspapers, indicate a hardline approach could be in the offing.

- AFP