Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad today claimed that the Umno supreme council is trying to prevent him from being elected a delegate to the party's annual general assembly in November.

The former Umno president alleged that there are instructions to delegates not to 'choose' him at this Saturday's Kubang Pasu Umno division meeting.

"I believe that the supreme council decides that (Kubang Pasu head Mohd Johari Baharum) is the man to stop me from being a delegate," he told a press conference in Putrajaya.

A visibly upset Mahathir claimed that the party leadership had also attempted to stop branches in the division from nominating him to contest to be a delegate.

He has received 16 nominations from a total of 143 branches - making him one of the 17 eligible candidates to battle for seven allocated seats at the party general assembly this November.

The division will send 13 delegates to the assembly. While seven of them will be elected, the remaining six will attend the party assembly by virtue of their posts in the division - division chief, deputy chief, vice-chief, Wanita chief, Youth chief and Puteri chief.

The former premier, who helmed the nation and party for 22 years, said the current leadership has "gone all out to stop me".

Mahathir also stressed that he would not stop from speaking out should he lose the contest on Saturday when 508 delegates will vote for seven candidates to represent the Kubang Pasu division at the Umno annual assembly to be held in Kuala Lumpur.

Over the past few months, he has been on the warpath against his handpicked successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Mahathir had been head of the Kubang Pasu division for more than two decades.

Grassroots 'influenced'

Mahathir claimed that divisional officials are attempting to sabotage him by influencing the grassroots to vote against him.

"If I lose this, it must be because of some pressure exerted on the delegates to the division meeting on the 9th (Saturday). I hope I don't lose of course, but there is a possibility (of that) because there is no more democracy in Umno," he said.

"They seem to be going all out. Even government officers seem to be there. (Umno secretary-general Radzi Sheikh Ahmad) seems to be there. Men are there at the meeting from all the different branches.

"What they are saying that people should not choose me as delegate because it will cause my glorious position as ex-president to be lowered, therefore they want to save my good name. But of course, the whole intention is to show that my own division does not want me. That would be used later on to tell Umno that even my own division does not want me.

"It is not because of love for me, kononnya kerana sayang untuk pemimpin ini, janganlah pilih saya (they are told not to vote for me, purportedly to show their love for this leader)."

He claimed that all he wanted was to be admitted into the Umno general assembly, but that something was amiss if the party machinery is out to get him.

"Apparently they are so afraid that I would say something that they may not be good for them. There are so many of them, they can refute whatever I say, unless I am hiding something. Maybe what I say is true, that they do not want the Umno assembly to hear the truth.

"That must be the only explanation that they are so agitated just because I want to be a representative for my division."

Mahathir said he has learnt that party officials were directly instructed to ensure that he loses.

"The leader of the division has been instructed to ensure that I lose this contest. If I lose, it must be because of that. Funny, funny things happened in Kelantan. I hope nothing funny happens in Kubang Pasu."

Perdana Foundation 'black-balled'

Mahathir further said the Perdana Leadership Foundation, which he heads, has been "black-balled" despite its apolitical status and although its creation is dedicated to all four prime ministers of the country to date.

"I thought it is an easy thing for me. This is a minor thing for the party, there are some 2,000 delegates but apparently this is taken seriously, as if I have to be shut up completely, that my mouth is muzzled so that I cannot say anything. There must be something frightening about what I have to say, to take this elaborate and very serious action against me.

"I sense there is a climate of fear, no one dares to speak, only in whispers. Even when they talk to me they tend to lower their voice, even where there is nobody around.

"I want to hear the debate. If I can contribute, I will contribute. Given an opportunity to speak, I will clarify. I will go there and listen and find out how many lies are going to be told."

He listed five of his functions that were cancelled - 'Jasamu Dikenang' by Umno Youth Selangor, Padang Besar divisional meeting in Perlis, a talk by Universiti Utara Malaysia, a talk with trainees from the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations; and a gathering organised by the Perlis Malay Chamber of Commerce in Langkawi Island.