Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has again urged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to respond to issues that have been raised against him, particularly those by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Asked whether the prime minister has kept his silence for too long, Khairy said he believes the issues must be addressed.

"A point has been made. I hope the issues will be addressed," he said in reply to reporters during a press conference at the National Sports Institute today.

Asked whether Najib's continued silence was damaging his administration, Khairy said it was normal for every administration to face problems.

"Every administration faces issues from time to time. It's incumbent upon all of us to ensure that we address these issues.

"(And) I think that will take place," he said.

Last week, Khairy said Najib himself had to answer questions raised Mahathir, even though the questions have purportedly been replied and answered previously.

'We need to answer what Mahathir wrote'

"For the former prime minister, we have to listen and value what he has written.

"We need to answer what Mahathir wrote. We cannot stick our heads in the sand like an ostrich and hope the problem goes away. That's not the right way," Khairy had said.

Khairy remained unperturbed today when asked for his response over those who called him an opportunist for asking Najib to answer the issues raised by Mahathir.

"They can say whatever they want, since I'm in politics. They are free to say whatever they want," he said curtly.

Mahathir, in a vitriolic attack against Najib, had said that the Umno and the BN would be defeated in the next general election unless the prime minister steps down.

The country's longest-serving prime minister in his blog post had also touched upon controversial issues such as the murder of Altantuyaa Shaariibuu, the debt-ridden 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and the purchase of a new private jet for the prime minister.