On 22 June 2002, the nation was sent into shock when Dato' Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad announced his resignation from all UMNO and Barisan Nasional posts. The announced came out of the blues as he was winding up the debate at the 56th UMNO general assembly. No one, not even his aides, had any inking that he had any intention to quit.
Dr. Mahathir's announcement came after he had been talking about Malaysia's success, more than an hour into his winding-up address. Without any indication whatsoever, Dr Mahathir, who had been at UMNO's helm for 21 years, paused, took a sip of water and said:
"I would like to take this opportunity to make an announcement. I would like to announce that I am resigning as UMNO president and all my posts in the party and as Barisan nasional Chairman and all other posts in Barisan Nasional."
As he spoke, several UMNO leaders surged forward and urged him to retract and on June 26 it was announced that his resignation would take effect only after the Organisation of Islamic Conference Summit in Kuala Lumpur in October 2003. The delay was to allow a smooth transition of power to his deputy Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
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