Dr Mahathir's action is hurting UMNO, BN - Salleh

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should not be talking about his loyalty to UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) when his actions are actually hurting the party and the coalition, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said.

The former prime minister, he said, had once left UMNO because of his personal differences with then premier Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and had gone on a roadshow to oppose Abdullah, resulting in BN performing badly in the general election.

"UMNO and BN actually did badly in the 2008 general election although it still won but with a simple majority. The ruling party also lost five states in that election, the first time such a thing ever happened," Salleh said in his blog at sskeruak.blogspot.my entitled 'Maybe Dr Mahathir forgot'.

Salleh said when Dr Mahathir was Prime Minister, he did not allow what he is now saying should be allowed.

For example, Dr Mahathir himself did not tolerate criticism from his deputies Tun Musa Hitam and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim by saying that it should be done in proper channel, but now he is saying that it is not wrong to criticise and that the number two should criticise the number one.

"He accuses Prime Minister Najib (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) of restructuring the party voting system so that only divisional votes are counted to stay in power whereas it was Dr Mahathir who introduced the bonus vote system and the no challenge for number one and number two rule to prevent anyone from challenging him," the minister said.