STANDING TOGETHER: Malaysia's PM Abdullah (right) endorsed Datuk Seri Najib as his political successor on Sunday. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

The endorsement by Datuk Seri Abdullah was made on Sunday as he launched attacks against his political foes and answered questions about their relationship after the shock results of the March 8 general election.

Speaking at a closed-door briefing for about 1,000 Umno chiefs and grassroots leaders on Sunday, PM Abdullah said there had never been any problems between him and Datuk Seri Najib.

'I assure you there are no problems between us, and he is the one who will be succeeding me,' the 68-year-old Premier said.

He did not say when he would step down, the New Straits Times reported yesterday.

'I will know when to go, but give me a chance to implement what I have promised,' he said.

He repeated the remarks while in Sabah yesterday, telling reporters that he would not stay longer than he should as premier.

'I would retire one day but I could not leave in this kind of political scenario. I will retire one day, of course. I'm not going to stay longer than I should.

'But there are certain things that I would like to do now. I cannot leave at a time when the party is in this condition. I cannot leave at a time when we are preparing for the implementation of development projects. We have already promised the people. We will do it.

'I'm not going to stay on for years. Certainly not,' he said.

He was responding to a question on whether he had a date in mind for his retirement since he had named Datuk Seri Najib, 54, as his successor.

Datuk Seri Najib, reacting to the Prime Minister's comments on Sunday, said he valued the trust and confidence of Datuk Seri Abdullah.

'I am thankful and touched by the Prime Minister's trust and confidence in me,' he told reporters.

He said Datuk Seri Abdullah had told him about the succession plan in front of a few senior officials, but Sunday's comments were the first time the issue had been made known to many people.

'I appreciate very much the Prime Minister's trust in me and I will honour Abdullah's request to me to continue cooperating with him as the Prime Minister,' Bernama news agency quoted him as saying.

The succession issue was aired at a time when former premier Mahathir Mohamad and veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah have been asking for Datuk Seri Abdullah to step down.

Former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh is offering himself as Datuk Seri Abdullah's replacement.

The Prime Minister on Sunday lashed out at both his predecessor as well as Tengku Razaleigh.

Among other things, Datuk Seri Abdullah said Tun Dr Mahathir had eroded public confidence in the judiciary, especially by sacking the No. 1 judge in 1988, Tun Salleh Abas.

He also said the former premier had maintained a tight grip over the media, instructing the press to black out news of his opponents, and launched a crackdown in 1988 which saw the detention of 106 people, including politicians, under the Internal Security Act.

Turning to Tengku Razaleigh, the Prime Minister said the former finance minister was responsible for Umno losing Kelantan in 1996.