There is newspaper speculation that Dr Mahathir will quit anyway.

The opposition newspaper Malaysia Kini said a senior source of the ruling Umno party saw the period up to December as a "transitional period for Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to take on the leadership".

The source said a general election, not due until 2004, could be called by the end of the year to capitalise on a recent revival in Umno support and to endorse Mr Badawi as Dr Mahathir's successor.

"This would allow Mahathir to bow out on a high note after 21 years in charge," the paper said.

Transition period

A Western diplomat told Malaysia Kini that it looked like the beginning of a transition and that "the change could come within months, if not sooner."

An Asian diplomat was more cautious, saying he expected Dr Mahathir to lead the party into the next election around the middle of next year, and then step down.

Malaysia Kini latched onto a comment by Umno Vice-President Najib Razak that Dr Mahathir had only agreed to "consider" retracting his resignation.

This would allow Mahathir to bow out on a high note after 21 years in charge

Malaysia Kini

"We respect his decision but after we told him about the adverse implications he decided to consider our proposal that he stays on," Najib had told the daily Utusan Malaysia.

Monday's papers were full of calls for Dr Mahathir to stay on, with the Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry describing his resignation as "untimely".

"The business community as a whole still needs Dr Mahathir's able stewardship," said association Deputy Secretary-General David Chua.

Timetable

The Singapore Straits Times said Dr Mahathir would remain leader of Malaysia for at least another year, as the political succession timetable to smooth the way for Mr Badawi could take that long.

It said the news of the succession timetable would "bring relief to Malaysians and foreign investors concerned about the impact on the economy of Dr Mahathir's resignation and retraction".

Successor Badawi?

Umno officials told the paper that Dr Mahathir had planned to outline the succession timetable after announcing his resignation, but his plan was scuttled by his emotional collapse and the intervention of well-meaning party leaders who stopped him from continuing his address.

"In between sobs, he was heard chiding senior party members for disrupting his speech," the paper said.

Frustration

Friends and aides of Dr Mahathir said he had always wanted to quit while ahead, but that frustration had hastened his decision on this occasion.

In between sobs, he was heard chiding senior party members for disrupting his speech

The Straits Times

They said he was unhappy with infighting in the Malaysian Chinese Association, the second largest political party in his ruling coalition, despite his proposed peace plan.

He was also upset at attempts by people within the Wanita Umno women's section and the Umno hierarchy to block the emergence of a Puteri Umno young women's section on the grounds that it would be led by entertainment-industry, Westernised urbanites.

He told the Mingguan Malaysia (Malaysia Weekly) newspaper last week that if he could turn back the clock he would like to be an ordinary Umno member again.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.