Former deputy Umno president Musa Hitam said even Dr Mahathir Mohamad, as prime minister and Umno president, did not silence him at the Umno general assembly when he was at odds with Mahathir in 1986.

Musa said this in reference to attempts to completely ban Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin from speaking at the Umno general assembly next week.

“It’s unheard of. Even though there was a fight between the two key people, I performed that function.

“And during the general assembly, I sat there as deputy president without anybody protesting, or making any attempt to get me out," Musa is quoted as saying in an interview with The Malaysian Insider .

He pointed out that he was allowed to participate in the Umno AGM debates and was the second last person to deliver the winding-up speech.

At that time Musa had resigned as deputy prime minister, citing differences with Mahathir, but remained Umno deputy president.

Muhyiddin was in July dropped from the government, together with Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal, for their critical stance against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's handling of 1MDB.

'What are we afraid of?'

“They might argue Muhyiddin’s case is different, he was sacked, he’s got so many issues, he might expose this and that and the other. But what are we afraid of?" Musa asked.

He said the issues being raised by Muhyiddin, such as 1MDB, are something that are also on the minds of the rakyat.

The attempt to silence different views in Umno is therefore putting the party on the path of dictatorship.

“The worry is that it will divide the party. But come on. A democratic party is always divided in terms of views and opinions.

“If it’s not divided, it’s a dictatorship. I tell you this, (you say) ‘yes sir’. I told you that, (you say) ‘yes sir, yes sir’,” Musa is quoted as saying.

He said pretending that all is well in Umno by silencing critics is a sign the party is losing its grip on power.

“Well, then we are living in a make-believe world. Seriously. We are evading (the issues). And these are not the hallmarks of a party in power.

"Maybe, if this goes on, it is a party getting out of power," he said.

Najib, who is also Umno president, last week announced a break from tradition where Muhyiddin will not be allowed to officiate at the AGMs of the Umno Wanita, Pemuda and Puteri wings.

On Wednesday, Muhyiddin also revealed that he may be barred from delivering his winding-up speech, complaining that he was being reduced to a "stump on stage".

Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has indicated that he is in favour of this but that the Umno supreme council will deliver a final decision next week.