Umno looks like Najib’s party now, says Dr Mahathir

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Umno has become 'Najib's party' after it gagged its deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin from officiating its wings' meetings. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, November 29, 2015.Umno now looks like "Najib's party" as those who criticised the party president, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, are sacked or silenced, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says today.

Dr Mahathir said this was evident in the recent move to let the party's Youth, Wanita and Puteri wings' annual meetings next month be officiated by their chiefs and not the deputy president.

This in effect bars Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin from speaking to party members at the events.

"Anyone who criticises Umno or the president, sack. So this is not like Umno's party but Datuk Seri Najib's," he told a press conference at the KL Summit 2015 in Kuala Lumpur today.

Those sacked recently include Perak leader Datuk Hamidah Osman, Langkawi member Anina Saadudin and earlier this year, former Batu Kawan leader Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hasan.

All had criticised Najib openly over alleged financial scandals.

Dr Mahathir said when he was the Umno president, there was ample room for those who disagreed with him in the party, to the extent of challenging his president’s post.

He said this while responding to a question from the media on whether there was any similarity in Umno now and the party elections in the late 1980s, when there were two factions.

“If we had a crisis in Umno then, no one was prevented from speaking.

“The one who contested against me was not prevented from campaigning.

“Now, I am not allowed to meet Umno members, cannot speak with Umno ministers and cannot speak to people within Umno,” said Dr Mahathir, who led Malaysia for 22 years.

On the action by several branch leaders calling for Najib to step down recently, he said it occurred because the division chiefs no longer represented the grassroots voice.

“We find the division chiefs have become mute. When the mute cannot speak, the one with a voice will speak.

“But now members cannot speak, that person or this person also can’t speak, what democracy is this?”