The whole cabinet will have to quit along with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he steps down this October, said an opposition leader today.

"It is clear from Article 43 of the Malaysian constitution as well as established parliament practices and conventions that when the prime minister resigns, it also involves the automatic resignation of his cabinet...," said DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang in a statement.

He said the constitutional position of the matter was "very clear and allows for no ambiguity".

"The controversy of whether a cabinet minister should or should not resign, wishes to resign or not, when Mahathir retires in October should not have arisen...," added Lim.

"This means that when Mahathir retires as the fourth prime minister..., the present and last Mahathir cabinet automatically resigns with him."

It is then for Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, after being sworn in as the fifth prime minister, to form a new cabinet.