The difficult areas are likely to be the Malay heartland states of Trengganu, Perlis and Kelantan.
PAS, which increased its hold on the north-eastern state of Kelantan and gained control of its neighbour Terengganu.
PAS. It has long held power in the northern state of Kelantan but in the election it also won control of neighbouring oil-rich Terengganu.
More significantly, it controls two states in the north-east, Terengganu, which it won in November, and Kelantan, where it has been in power since 1990.
But Najib was weakened by the razor-thin margin with which he kept his seat in the general elections, and Razaleigh disappointed by failing to deliver his native Kelantan to UMNO.
He has business links - and thus access to campaign funds should he decide to run for a major post again - and a solid power base in northeastern Kelantan state.
But once Dr Mahathir does finally retire, will Mr Badawi, his chosen heir, be strong enough to fend off potential challengers, such as Tengku (Prince) Razaleigh Hamzah, from Kelantan, or the defence minister, Najib Tun Razak?
Kedah is also, as one Barisan activist puts it, "one of the places where Pas can pose a threat, " along with the nearby Malay belt states of Kelantan (which is already ruled by Pas), Trengganu and Perlis.
Even his po-tential trump card, winning Kelantan back from Pas (which he failed to do in Novem-ber), is irrelevant since the next general election does not have to take place until after the next UMNO party polls in 2003.
Former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, a onetime rival of Mahathir who once bolted UMNO but has since returned to the ruling camp, has been given the task of winning back Kelantan, currently ruled by the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia.
Kelantan, for instance, is governed by the Islamic Party PAS, and has a long history of opposition to the center, including a little known challenge in the courts that sought separation from the Malaysian Federation when it was formed in 1963.
应用推荐