Division in Umno worse if Dr M stays on, Salleh says

(Malay Mail Online) – Umno would suffer greater division if Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad stays on as a member who attacks the party from within, party leader Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said today.

Salleh, an Umno Supreme Council member, said that Dr Mahathir’s quitting of the party would be for the better.

“Whether this creates a division in Umno, I would say if Dr Mahathir stays in Umno and continues to attack the party, that would be even worse,” the minister told Malay Mail Online when contacted today.

“If Dr M stays in Umno and yet attacks Umno, the division would be even worse because it is Umno versus Umno. Once he leaves, it is non-Umno attacking Umno,” he added.

According to Salleh, Umno has already been through many crises and managed to survive such challenges.

“So this is not the first time and also not the first time Dr Mahathir has resigned from Umno because he disagrees with the Prime Minister,” he said, noting that the former Umno president’s decision to quit Umno was not as serious as past events such as the Datuk Harun Idris crisis.

“But Umno survived and life went on. And Umno will survive this one as well. In the long run it is better for everyone concerned that Dr Mahathir leaves the party,” he said.

In a blog post titled “Mahathir made the right move to resign from Umno”, Salleh also said it was pointless for someone to remain in the party if their relationship with the party or party leader is no longer tenable.

“Furthermore, Dr Mahathir’s actions are hurting the party and for him to remain in the party while at the same time going against the party does not seem logical. If Dr Mahathir wants to continue to attack Umno then he should do so outside Umno.

“That would be the noble and ethical thing to do,” the communications and multimedia minister wrote on his blog this evening.

Salleh said he was saddened at the circumstances behind Dr Mahathir’s resignation from the party, adding however that both the good and bad times have to be taken with equal measure.

“No one can deny that Dr Mahathir did a lot for the country in his 22 years as Prime Minister, although his term of office was not entirely free of blemish. But the events over the last year and his resignation today will be remembered more than the good he has done,” he said.

“I realise this matter is not going to end here and that we shall continue to hear from Dr Mahathir. However, I just hope we can maintain some dignity and decorum and not drag the country down to gutter politics,” he said, before wishing the former prime minister “the very best for the future”.

Earlier today, Dr Mahathir announced that he is quitting Umno, claiming that the party is no longer what it used to be but is now dedicated to supporting and protecting its current president Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Dr Mahathir had in recent months been an outspoken critic of Najib and the latter’s administration, penning attacks through his blog posts.