One year after Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad confounded the nation with an emotional resignation, he presides this week over his last annual party conference.

Tributes to his 22-year leadership will hide burgeoning infighting for power within his United Malays National Organisation (Umno), party sources say.

"Delegates will praise Mahathir for his sacrifices. But one must understand these sentiments are not aimed at persuading him to stay on," a senior Umno member told AFP .

"A lot of bickering is going on," ahead of the scheduled takeover in October by Mahathir's Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and elections due by the end of next year, he said.