Even before prime minister cum UMNO president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has made the announcement on whether he is taking part in the coming party elections, the power struggle within the party itself has picked up heat in recent days.

Once Abdullah announces that he is not going to seek re-election, with DPM Najib taking over his job, the number two post will then be up for grabs among ambitious leaders.

While Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the most likely contender for the post, remains undecided, minister in the prime minister's department Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi declared out of the blue that he would run for deputy presidency, giving everyone an impression that the party president is relinquishing his chair pretty soon.

According to UMNO's customary practice, the party's deputy president will automatically become the country's DPM. Ahmad Zahid's announcement came as a defused time bomb, messing up the plans of some leaders and forcing grassroots leaders to reassess the prospective political situation.

Although Ahmad Zahid has denied that he joins the race with Najib's blessings, he has nevertheless ignited the conflagration of war prematurely, prompting Melaka state liaison committee chairman Datuk Seri Hj Mohd Ali Rustam to also jump into the bandwagon.

Former vice president Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib, meanwhile, has said he would only consider his next move after the prime minister has made up his mind.

Muhyiddin, who could not care less to disclose his intention since the March general elections and is still assessing the situation for the time being, may have lost the early bird bonus, which has since been grabbed by a quick-handed Ahmad Zahid. Perhaps Muhyiddin has too many things to be cautious about or has not seen the right timing as yet to make the decisive move.

To run for deputy presidency, a leader must have secured nomination from at least 38 divisions. In other words, potential contenders who have announced their intentions to take part in the race must first meet the nomination quota in the one-month nomination exercise among the 191 divisions beginning 9 October, or their ambitions will be thwarted prematurely.

Of course, the key issue remains whether the PM is to stay on or quit. If Abdullah decides to seek re-election, Najib will have to settle with his deputy presidency, which means a very tough barrier for anyone with an eye on the number two post.

Besides veteran leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who has said he would challenge the president, there has been no one else good enough to vie for the "future PM" post.

Although the party elections have been postponed by three months, the focus remains very much around the deputy and vice president posts, as this has a strong implication on how far up potential contenders can go in their pursuit of senior government posts. Any imprudent or wrong move will invariably spell the demise of their political future.

Once the race for UMNO's number two post and vice presidency is officially kicked off, what we are going to see will be a battle of unprecedented scale.

The race for No. 2 is seen as a stake for future party stewardship, while VPs are seen as possible future successors to the helm. (By LOW YAK BUANG/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)