(AFP) The next finance minister must be a "clean" and uncontroversial figure and could be a non-politician, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

Mahathir, who is acting finance minister following the sudden resignation of Daim Zainuddin on June 1, said he would not be hurried into appointing a successor.

"He must be clean and not a controversial figure. He could be a politician, a non-politician. I want to give myself the freedom to decide on something that I think is very important," the premier told reporters.

"I don't want to be hurried into this."

Some analysts have said it is important to name a successor quickly with the economy feeling the effects of the global downturn.

No reason has been given for Daim's resignation but Mahathir said he may have felt slighted.

"He felt that some people don't quite appreciate what he was doing and he thought it was time for him to leave the government," added Mahathir.

Still friends

"I'm still very friendly with him," Mahathir said, when asked if there were any differences between him and Daim.

There has been strong speculation of a rift between the two men, who have been close associates for two decades.

Daim has been associated in the public mind with a series of unpopular bailouts of politically connected campanies.

This include the government's decision to buy back a stake in Malaysia Airlines (MAS)from a private company at twice the market price of the shares.