Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said when he was deputy Umno president, he had never questioned the party's political funding.

"When I was the deputy president, I did not question the party's political funds because that was the president's job.

"During Dr Mahathir Mohamad's time the deputy didn't question either," he said.

Speaking to delegates at the opening of the Pasir Gudang Umno division annual meeting in Johor today, Najib said this has been the party's practice and it should be continued.

Najib's remarks come two weeks after he sacked Muhyiddin Yassin as his deputy prime minister for being critical of the 1MDB scandal and on the RM2.6 billion ringgit that Wall Street Journal had alleged were transferred into the PM’s private accounts.

Muhyiddin had said it was his responsibility to voice out against things he deemed were wrong.

Najib however said in Umno, looking at the constitution, the deputy president's job is to assist the president.

"I accept (criticism) as long as the party's principles are respected , its secrets kept, and collective responsibility upheld," he said.

Najib then defended the RM2.6 billion donation he allegedly received for the party, saying it was not easy to be president.

He said the grassroots and party machinery needed money to operate, and he had to find the cash somewhere.

He insisted that he did nothing illegal, and again claimed that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had cleared him.

However the MACC has only said that the RM2.6 billion was a donation not linked to 1MDB.

The commission has said it is still investigating the transfer and wants to question Najib.