If his "old friend" Sabbaruddin Chik is a voter in Teluk Intan, the former minister would have voted for DAP candidate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, said Lim Kit Siang.

According to the DAP veteran, this is because there are no signs that Umno and BN have the political will to reform or crack down on corruption, cronyism and abuse of power to win over the young generation.

Lim said Sabbaruddin ( right ) was one of the "promising young blood" brought into the government from the civil service in the early eighties, serving as deputy minister and minister for close to two decades.

"But the infusion of 'promising young blood' which included Anwar Ibrahim at the time, have not seen the triumph of national reform, regeneration and rejuvenation but worsening corruption, cronyism and abuses of power in all aspects of political life, particularly in the decade of the 22-year Mahathir premiership.

"In the five terms we served together in Parliament from 1982 to 1999, Sabbaruddin has always struck me as a down-to-earth, decent and humble politician who had no airs whatsoever. He had always been forthright and never minced his words, as what was important to him were the truths and to call a spade a spade," he added.

Sabaruddin's contract as Bank Rakyat chairperson was not renewed by Minister for Domestic Trade, Co-operative and Consumerism Hasan Malek.

This is said to be because Sabbarruddin and the bank's board of directors refused to comply with the minister's directive to approve the settlement of a RM32 million loan without calculation of any interest, but on a 120 post-dated cheques to be cashed in by the bank over a 10-year period.

The DAP veteran was commenting on Sabaruddin's interview with the Malaysian Insider , where he warned that BN risked losing federal power in the next general election if young voters remain unimpressed.

He said the younger generation was no longer ignorant, and Umno and BN were in for a rude shock if the Najib administration did not institute meaningful reforms.

"In the next general election, I am worried that if we do nothing, we will face bigger problems... most of the Generation Y are not with us," he was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Lim said Umno should be fighting for the benefits and prosperity of the masses and not some individuals alone.

"Such Umno ministers and leaders appear to have become an endangered species or he (Sabaruddin) would not have been sacked as Bank Rakyat chairperson," he added.

Therefore, Lim said Dyana's victory in the Teluk Intan by-election would be an "electrifying message" of the advent of new Malaysian politics.

"Let it be a final warning to Umno and BN that they are heading for the dustbin of history unless they heed the voices of the young voters and Malaysians like Dyana for change, and change urgently and immediately," he added.