Both current Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi responded with smiles when told of ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's decision today to leave Umno.
Najib, after attending the launching of a coffee-table book on him entitled Najib Razak - 40 Years 40 Pictures refused to comment on the issue when he was leaving the venue in Kuala Lumpur.
When by the media asked to comment of Mahathir leaving the party, Najib merely returned smiles and kept mum.
Similarly, Mahathir's successor Abdullah also declined to comment on the matter and only responded with a smile.
Mahathir, together with his wife Dr Siti Hasmah Ali, announced that they will leave Umno, a party he was once a president for for more than two decades, to protest against Najib.
This is the second time Mahathir and his wife have quit the party to protest against a sitting prime minister.
The couple previously quit Umno in 2008 to protest Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership and only rejoined when Abdullah stepped down in 2009.
Coincidentally, when Najib was reciting a poem during the event, he mentioned that he had never toppled anyone during his forty years in politics.
"Never did I get carried away my loyalty to the previous leaders, nor have I ever left the sacred Umno," he said when reciting the poem.
It has been nearly a year since Mahathir has publicly called for Najib's resignation over the 1MDB issue.
Since then, Najib has launched a slew of counter-attacks including removing party dissidents such as Muhyiddin Yassin from his deputy PM's post and his deputy Umno president's post.
Mahathir's son Mukhriz Mahathir was also forced to resign as Kedah menteri besar after the Kedah Umno claimed they had lost confidence in his leadership.
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