Banning members from attending Najib rally shows Umno is 'slave' to DAP, says Mahathir

Dr Mahathir Mohamad says the move to prevent Umno members from attending a PAS-organised rally in support of Najib Razak's legal challenge over an addendum to his partial pardon shows the Malay party's subservience to  DAP.

The veteran leader questioned the Umno leadership for invoking a statement by Istana Negara in telling its members to stay out of the rally, adding that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had never objected to the rally outside the Putrajaya court complex today.

Instead, Mahathir said the objections to the rally came from DAP, which did not want cooperation between Umno and PAS.

Describing DAP strongman Lim Guan Eng as "still potent", Mahathir said Umno leaders feared being expelled from the government if the party got close with PAS.

"The government will not collapse if Umno is ousted. But the fate of Umno leaders will be affected if Umno is no longer part of the government.

"Such is Umno's fate. The security of Umno leaders depends on them being part of the government. DAP's support is needed," he said in a post titled "Umno khadam (slaves for) DAP".

PAS mobilised hundreds of its members today to rally outside the Court of Appeal, which heard Najib's judicial review to compel the Pardons Board to respond to a royal decree that would have allowed him to serve the remainder of his reduced prison sentence at home.

The hearing ended with the judges overturning last year's High Court judgement which had dismissed the claim over the existence of the addendum.

Following today's ruling, Perikatan Nasional said that some parties had deliberately concealed the addendum, and reminded Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that he was bound by his oath of allegiance to Agong.

"Any disobedience, concealment or denial of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's order is a grave treason the king and the country," said opposition leader and PN deputy chairman Hamzah Zainudin.

Anwar has repeatedly brushed aside claims about the existence of the addendum, and said the matter would only be decided by the court, which is seen as an attempt to distance himself from any decision on the matter.