Zahid on Dr Mahathir

Dr M's Actions Like Throwing Stones At A Glass House, Says Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Bernama) -- The action by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in strongly criticising Umno's leadership can be likened to throwing stones at a glass house, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said when he (Zahid) was Umno Youth chief from 1996 to 1999, he had once been warned by Mahathir not to do the same.

"The glass house is Umno, and the issues I brought up then was about Umno leaders practising cronyism. The warning he gave me is still etched in my mind until today.

"Now, he (Mahathir) is hurling "hailstones", not just to crack the walls (of Umno) but to destroy the party to the ground.

"I just wish to remind him about his warning to Umno members then," Ahmad Zahid, who is also an Umno Supreme Council (MT) member, told Bernama here Saturday.

He said it would be better if Mahathir used a softer approach and not resort the opposition's style of attacking Umno leaders.

He said his (Dr Mahathir's) actions would be turned into a time bomb by the opposition to destroy Umno from the outside because Dr Mahathir was taking the step to destroy the party from within.

"With all due respect to him, in my opinion, he should be going all out to unite Umno members just as he had wanted when Umno faced an internal crisis in 1987, which led to the deregistration of the party in 1988.

"It's not to late for him to refresh his memory of the time he was in power. I just want to remind him of what he always exhorted that is "Melayu Mudah Lupa" (Malays forget easily)," added Ahmad Zahid. - BERNAMA