Umno president and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's sudden decision to resign could be due to opposition from senior party leaders against any move to bring Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah back to the government, said DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang today.

However, he said this was one of the many rumours circulating widely since the 76-year-old veteran statesman shocked the nation by announcing his resignation on Saturday that he was quitting as Umno president, Barisan Nasional chairperson and from all other government posts.

Lim said the retraction of the resignation as announced by Umno deputy president and deputy prime minister, instead of Mahathir himself, had "allowed the rumours to run riot".

"There is the rumour that Mahathir wanted to bring back Tengku Razaleigh as finance minister but this was strongly objected by the three Umno vice-presidents.

"(Umno information chief) Megat Junid's (Megat Ayob) statements on Utusan Malaysia 's front page today have made the political situation murkier and more turbulent," said Lim in a statement.

Tengku Razaleigh could not be reached for comments.

Today's Utusan Malaysia quoted Megat Junid as saying that Umno deputy president and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will make an announcement after a supreme council meeting tomorrow evening regarding the "compromise" reached between the party's management committee and Mahathir yesterday morning.

Lim also raised the question of whether Abdullah really had Mahathir's "unequivocal consent" to announce the retraction an hour after the PM's shocking announcement on the last day of the 56th Umno General Assembly which ended on Saturday.

"If so, why did Megat Junid say Mahathir was still intent on his resignations the next morning?" asked Lim, adding that the premier's intention and reasons for the announcement still remained unclear.

Several theories

Maintaining his stand that Mahathir's announcement was not a political gimmick, Lim offered several of the theories circulating over the matter.

One is that the whole thing was a sandiwara (charade) due to Mahathir's sense of failure to change the Malays, the resistance to the proposed educational changes on "meritocracy", the 10 percent non-bumiputra quota for matriculation and Mara colleges, and the use of English.

Another theory was also based on the sandiwara angle, attributing the resignation to Mahathir's disgust at the infighting and jockeying for power among the top Umno leaders, particularly among the three vice-presidents and the deputy president.

But one other theory suggests that Mahathir was genuine in his decision because he felt that Umno had achieved a political turnaround and that he had been around too long 21 years at the helm of the national leadership.

Lim said the sandiwara theory is often coupled with the conclusion that the resignation "gimmick" enabled Mahathir to create a situation where he would be vested with even more power and a free hand to do what he wants.

Possible post-Mahathir scenarios

Meanwhile, Parti Rakyat Malaysia president Dr Syed Husin Ali offered three possible post-Mahathir scenarios, including whether Mahathir himself will defy convention and remain as prime minister even after resigning from his post as Umno president and Barisan Nasional chairperson.

Convention dictates that only the leader of the largest party in parliament is appointed by the Agong to the position of prime minister.

Secondly, Syed Husin said the Umno and BN leadership want Mahathir to retain his posts until the next general assembly in mid-2003 when the new supreme council is scheduled to be appointed. Then, they will extend his tenure until the end of 2003.

This is to ensure that he can play host to the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Conference meetings in July and September respectively.

The third post-Mahathir scenario is that he is adamant about leaving immediately or shelve it until a certain date, while ensuring that he remains the prime minister until he dies, as this is a very important prerequisite in protecting his own position and safety, as well as that of his family and friends who are his cronies.

Syed Husin said it was also to ensure that Mahathir's political enemies, especially his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim, remains incarcerated even if done in a cruel manner.

"I cannot anticipate what will happen, but what is clear is that Umno and BN leaders at all levels who depend on his position and importance will want him to remain in his seat."

At the same time, Syed Husin said, many were concerned over Umno's future, in terms of Malay support, if Mahathir continues to lead the party.