The controversial Australian Broadcasing Corporation ( ABC ) feature on Prime Minister Najib Razak is the result of former permier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's anger at his failure to bring down the PM.

Tourism Minister and Umno supreme council member Nazri Abdul Aziz was reported saying this today when commenting on the Four Corners episode that scandalised the nation this week.

"This man has won in all his previous 'battles'. He had opposed (former prime ministers) Tunku Abdul Rahman and Hussein Onn.

"He also took down (former deputy prime ministers) Anwar Ibrahim, Musa Hitam and (former finance minister) Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

"He succeeded in taking down everyone, but he has failed to take down Najib, so he is really angry," Utusan Malaysia reported Nazri saying today.

The documentary, according to the report, was allegedly another of Mahathir's attempts to realise his anti-Najib campaign by spreading bad publicity against Najib.

"We know what he wants to do. He wants to ensure our economy is threatened.

"By giving all this bad publicity, investors would stop coming to Malaysia and no one would want to come here, and the prime minister would be blamed," Nazri was quoted saying.

Running down Dr M

ABC 's Four Corners programme aired its segment 'State of Fear: Murder and Money in Malaysia' this week, heavily featuring Mahathir criticising Najib.

Apart from Nazri, Umno-owned Utusan also ran other articles targetting Mahathir and the past performance of Proton, citing Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi 's and International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed 's comments yesterday.

Umno Youth exco member Sheikh Ahmad Nafiq Sheikh A Rahman was also reported calling on Mahathir to quit posts in state agencies and stop making statements that he said undermined the harmony and political stability of the country.