PENANG - Hometown supporters of Malaysia's newly installed Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi were preparing a grand welcome today for their "village hero" as he began his first day in power.

Abdullah, 63, was sworn-in yesterday as Malaysia's fifth prime minister since independence from Britain in 1957, ushering in a new political era in a country that has been dominated for 22 years by his predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Some 20,000 residents and wellwishers were expected to gather at the Penang airport to greet the first local boy from this northern resort island to be elevated to the nation's highest office, officials said.

Abdullah will deliver his maiden speech as premier before being escorted by a motorcade of some 2,000 motorcyclists to his village in Kepala Batas on the mainland peninsula, linked to the island by a 13.5 kilometre bridge, reputedly the longest in Asia.

Some 300 security personnel will be on duty and several roads, including the bridge, will be closed in stages to provide a smooth journey for his convoy home, police said.

His sleepy hometown village has taken on a festive air, with posters and bunting lining the roads all the way from the Penang bridge and the airport.

Abdullah will seek blessings from his 79-year-old mother Kailan Hassan and break Ramadan fast with his family, before attending a nearby mosque for prayers and a thanksgiving feast planned by his supporters.

Down-to-earth

Kailan has described Abdullah's appointment as God's will and has advised her son to remain down-to-earth.

"It never crossed my mind Abdullah will become prime minister. Everything is up to God. We should not be carried away by positions," she said, adding that they would share a simple meal of porridge and dates, her son's favourite.

Abdullah, who has a reputation as "Mr Nice Guy," is not expected to make any radical changes to Mahathir's economic and social policies, at least in the short term, but he is quieter and less confrontational than his predecessor.

On Sunday, he gets down to work by visiting flood victims in the northern region and handing out aid packages before returning to Kuala Lumpur and clocking-in at the PM's office early Monday morning.

Later in the day he will deliver his first parliamentary address.

Mahathir, who has said he will play no further role in government, was due to leave Saturday for a holiday at an undisclosed destination on the Mediterranean. - AFP