Dr Mahathir Mohamad's newly-formed alliance with the opposition to remove Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak from power, is considered “an act of betrayal” by the former premier.
Umno supreme council member Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said Mahathir has betrayed the struggle of Umno, the Malays, and even himself, with this alliance.
"Mahathir was someone who always reminded us, especially Umno members, about the dangerous threat of DAP towards Malays and Malaysia.
"He had also always cautioned us about PKR's ideologies - which is rooted in (former opposition leader) Anwar Ibrahim's misguided struggle.
"Yet today, Mahathir has betrayed Umno's struggle, the Malay people's struggle, and even his own just to see his own ambitions achieved," Abdul Aziz said in a statement yesterday.
It is even sadder that two other Umno leaders are following Mahathir's footsteps as they, too, want to achieve their personal ambitions, he lamented, in referring to suspended party deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin and ousted former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir.
Yesterday's press conference where Mahathir, his allies, and various opposition and civil society leaders jointly signed a
declaration
to work together towards the removal of Najib was “a black day” in the history of the country and specifically for Umno, Abdul Aziz (
pix
) added.
He reminded other Umno members not to simply follow their emotions without thinking about the long-term effects to the country's future.
"There is no other party who fights for Malays and Islam in this country other than Umno.
"Umno is the only one who can safeguard the bumiputera and Islam agenda," he stressed.
'Stay loyal to Umno and achieve Vision 2020'
He pointed out that Umno has achieved an impressive level of development within 70 years of its formation, and that this was done with the loyalty of the Umno leaders and grassroots.
There are only four more years left before the year 2020, where Malaysia has aimed to become a developed country by then, he noted.
"If we want to see this vision achieved under Najib's rule, then the country's leadership, Umno members, and the rakyat, have to stay loyal to the fight for the sake of our beloved country," he explained.
Otherwise, he said, it would be very challenging for the country to achieve its developed nation status.
Meanwhile in a separate press statement today, Pertubuhan Minda dan Sosial Prihatin (PMSP) president Ramesh Rao said that the alliance to pressure for Najib's removal was a "dirty and disgusting" act.
"If you want the prime minister to resign, you should wait till the general elections. (Then you can) give explanations and speeches to the rakyat, convince them, and wait for the voters' choice.
"If you win, you can become prime minister and govern the country. What Mahathir has done is a dirty and shameful tactic," Rao reiterated.
He also echoed Abdul Aziz, saying that during Mahathir's tenure as PM, it was a well-known fact how deep the rivalry ran between BN and DAP, as well as PKR.
"But yesterday's event made it seem like all that history did not exist.
"This is proof that Mahathir is a good actor for the sake of his political games," Rao said.
Describing himself as a former strong supporter of DAP, Rao claimed that the party will not deviate from its "original goals" of destroying Umno and BN, along with trying to get rid of anything related to the Malays and the institutional monarchy.
"Mahathir is now being used as a 'horse' by DAP to help them achieve their goals of governing Malaysia and destroying several things in the federal constitution - such as those related to Islam, Malays, and the sultans," he added.
