Ketereh MP Annuar Musa said it was former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who taught him to defend his boss, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, in the current spat between the two leaders.

Talking at a dialogue session with members of the public, Annuar, who served more than a decade under Mahathir, said his former mentor taught him the importance of serving the party came before serving any individual.

“When people ask, what can I answer? Which calculations I took? If we think about deeds, it was Tun who brought me up as a minister.

“However, in this issue I am always with PM. It is not that I do not love Tun, I love Umno much more,” Annuar ( photo ) told about 100 attendees in the dialogue session in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, last night.

The session, organised by NGO People’s Nadi Association (Nadi) and Cheras Umno division, was mainly attended by grassroots members.

Annuar, a former rural development minister and Umno Kelantan state chief under Mahathir, said the challenge faced by Najib was not a new one faced by the prime minister.

He said the challenges during Mahathir’s time were tougher and Umno stayed afloat and continued to serve the people.

“During Tun’s time, we have had to face the sultans to change the constitution. The are also allegations now about billions of ringgit lost as well.

“Najib faces Mahathir only, but former prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra joined with Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and others to challenge Umno’s authority.

“When Tengku Razaleigh challenged Mahathir, half of the Umno members sided with him. And at that time, there was no Facebook.

“Do you think, if Mukhriz Mahathir wants to be the prime minister, he will face a challenge?” Annuar asked.

'Stay focused on the party'

Annuar urged the grassroots members to stay focused and to heed his steps, as he serves the party and has never been in any faction.

He said it was important for Umno members and leaders to trust the leadership and to fight any slander aimed at the top leaders, for this would keep the party strong.

He has proven this to Mahathir by supporting decisions made by the former PM, without prior explanation or reason.

“During Mahathir’s time, we fight first then ask the leader to explain to us.

“I remembered I was with Anwar Ibrahim in Malacca for an event three days before he was sacked (as deputy prime minister).

“Then, when I went back to Kelantan, newspaper reporters asked me whether I supported Anwar’s sacking. I said ‘yes’, as it was the PM’s decision though I don’t know the reason why Anwar was sacked.

“When I came back to Kuala Lumpur three days later, I made an appointment to meet the PM and I asked him (about Anwar’s sacking) and he explained,” he said.

Annuar called on every Umno member and leader not to be swayed by the Mahathir-Najib row, although he questioned whether Mahathir was being manipulated by others in his tirade against Najib.

“I remembered Mahathir telling me, a few times, when Singapore appointed its former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew as the country’s senior mentor minister.

“Singapore has to get back to Lee in the country’s negotiations. He (Mahathir) said, ‘when I step down from the prime minister’s post, I won’t take any senior minister’s post or disturb the government’,” Annuar said.

As for Anwar, now a jailed former opposition leader, Annuar said he found it difficult to work after Anwar was appointed as the deputy prime minister.

He said he raised this matter up with Mahathir, who replied that he had already sacked two of his deputies before and was not ready to sack another.

“Dr Mahathir told me ‘I have sacked two, if I sack the third person, people will say that I am the one who’s wrong, not my deputies’. I still remember that answer,” Annuar said.

He went on to say that Mahathir had worked with six leaders and that all of them could not cooperate with the fiery and charismatic Mahathir - from Tunku Abdul Rahman to Musa Hitam, Tengku Razaleigh, Anwar, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and now, Najib

“That means that according to his (Mahathir’s) own volition, I don’t think there’s something wrong with all the seven leaders. Maybe there is something wrong with only one of them,” he said, referring to Mahathir.