Tiff with Dr M an internal Umno matter, says Najib

(The Malay Mail) – Datuk Seri Najib Razak has downplayed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s criticism of his administration, claiming it was an internal matter within Umno.

The Prime Minister said today he is open to meeting the veteran statesman to hear him out.

“From Umno’s point of view, they give their support to the current leadership. But they also respect Tun [Dr Mahathir] as an elder statesman,” Najib told a press conference after the Umno Supreme Council meeting here.

“There are various possibilities,” he added, referring to the suggestion for the two to meet and settle their differences. “We hope the end will benefit Umno as a whole.”

Dr Mahathir claimed previously that Najib had turned a blind eye towards his criticism.

In his blog last week, Dr Mahathir slammed Najib’s administration and its policies as reflecting a culture of “yes-men” but later added that the criticism was not a personal attack on Najib

Mahathir said he was unhappy with the Najib administration’s policy decisions which were not effective in containing the rise in racial and religious tensions.

Dr Mahathir said he had expected Najib to shake things up after last year’s general election result which was Barisan Nasional’s worst ever showing.

In the 13th general election last year, Barisan Nasional (BN) won 133 seats in the 222-member Parliament and failed to recapture the two-thirds majority it lost in 2008.

Several Umno supreme council members told Malay Mail Online last week that Dr Mahathir’s criticism of Najib over policy decisions made jointly by the administration and lawmakers was “unfair”.