Opposition leaders today said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's tearful revelation of his decision to quit from all Umno and Barisan Nasional posts could be a ploy to shore up support from his party.

Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the episode appeared to be a "calculated move".

"It was a dramatic event. Dr Mahathir had made the announcement at the (Umno annual general) assembly with full knowledge that it was carried live (on television) to the whole nation.

"Although he withdrew the decision, it looked like a calculated move," she told malaysiakini .

This evening, a tearful Mahathir shocked Umno delegates and the nation when he announced his decision to quit at the party's annual meet at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

However, an hour later, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ended the suspense when he said the premier had been persuaded to revoke his decision.

As for the vocal pleas from the 2000-odd delegates calling on Mahathir not to step down, Wan Azizah said such a reaction was expected.

"But what is even clearer is that the whole event shows that there is no successor in Umno. It looks like there is no one capable to lead Umno after Mahathir," she said.

Echoing a similar view was Keadilan deputy president Abdul Rahman Othman, who said the delegates reaction reflected a succession problem in Umno.

"[The episode] tells that the delegates have no confidence in other Umno leaders," he said in a statement.

Hindi movie

The Muslim-based PAS opposition offered a more caustic response and likened the premier to a Bollywood film star.

Party secretary-general Nasharuddin Mat Isa said he has no doubt that the announcement was "an act" staged in desperation to regain the premier's popularity among the Malays.

"To us the whole event was a like a Hindi movie with Mahathir 'Khan' as its leading actor. I do not think Dr Mahathir was sincere about resigning or else he would not have withdrawn it within a hour," he said.

"The act shows that Mahathir is nor fit to lead the party and the government," he added.

Nahsruddin also disagreed with the suggestion that the reaction of Umno delegates to Mahathir's announcement today represented the rakyat's sentiment on the matter.

"It's unfair for anyone to say that the delegates had represented the nation. I think after today the rakyat no longer has confidence in his leadership ," he said.

Meanwhile, PRM president Dr Syed Husin Ali said this evening's incident had not only strengthened Mahathir's position in Umno but also increased his role as a "dictator" in the country.

"Two years ago, he announced that he wanted to part some of his ministerial responsibilities to his deputy and concentrate on the party. This never happened. In fact, he became a more powerful prime minister and has amassed more responsibilities as he is also the finance minister," he said.

"Mahathir knows the real power lies in his position as the prime minister and not as Umno president. If he was really serious about resigning, he should have stepped down as prime minister. But this he did not do because he has become too fond of the position which gives him massive power and wealth," he said.

DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang, when contacted by malaysiakini , said he did not want to speculate on the controversy for now.

"Dr Mahathir did not finish what he wanted to say. He must explain to the country what and why he intended to resign. We want to know the reason behind it," he said.