Najib Tun Razak, one of the front-runners for the post of deputy prime minister, vowed today he would support the decision of prime-minister-in-waiting Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he picks his deputy later this year.

"I would like to take this opportunity to state at this assembly my stand that when the time comes, we should let Pak Lah decide on the choice of his deputy," said Najib when winding up the debate on the presidential address at the 54 th Umno General Assembly in the Putra World Trade Centre.

"I will accept it, and in fact we should all accept whoever is picked by Pak Lah," he added.

Yesterday Abdullah - who is fondly known as Pak Lah - said he would name his deputy after he takes over as prime minister from Dr Mahathir Mohamad, most likely in November.

Mahathir, who has been at the helm for 22 years, has announced his retirement from all party and government posts at the end of October.

Najib, a party vice-president, also conceded that some Umno members have been quietly instigating leaders like himself to contest in next year's assembly when key party posts are up for grabs.

"There are people who come to me and say, 'Datuk fight, datuk fight'," he told the 2,000-odd party delegates and observers.

Among the coveted posts is the deputy presidency, who by convention is also the deputy prime minister.

Those in the running for the post are the party's two other vice-presidents - Muhyiddin Yassin and Muhammad Muhammad Taib.

Hidden fears

There are hidden fears within the party that Najib would challenge Abdullah's deputy in the event that he is not chosen, plunging Umno into another messy leadership struggle.

While the naming of deputy prime minister is the sole prerogative of Abdullah when he becomes prime minister, the party has the right to determine who assumes the deputy presidency.

However, the person who is appointed by Abdullah as deputy premier will have a distinct advantage when the party meets next year to elect its deputy president.

Najib, in his winding-up speech, went further and said that "whoever is chosen by Abdullah as the deputy prime minister will be accepted by us as the deputy president".

Should Umno delegates refuse to endorse Abdullah's choice as deputy president, it would be taken as a slap in the face for the newly minted prime minister, a situation which many in the party would prefer to avoid.

Already, there is pressure on key party leaders not to challenge Abdullah's decision.

Mahathir, in an interview before this week's party assembly, has expressed his concern that a leadership struggle for the deputy presidency would destroy Umno.

Muhyiddin, another key contender for the deputy prime minister post, has pledged to respect Abdullah's decision.

The other vice-president, Muhammad Taib, is not consider as a likely candidate since he is not a member of parliament and thus not eligible to hold a post in government.