Dr Mahathir Mohamad's campaign to oust the prime minister has witnessed a boomerang effect, with critics blaming the former premier and his ironclad policies for the current political predicament.

Detractors have also recalled the slew of allegations against Mahathir during his reign of more than two decades, which ranges from abuse of power to corruption.

However, former law minister Zaid Ibrahim argued that Mahathir like his Singaporean counterpart, the late Lee Kuan Yew, operated in a different period.

"They had to deal with abject poverty, foreign occupation, war, communist insurgency and the dark days of colonial rule. They had to deal with issues of life and death.

"As such, they had to prioritise and if they prioritised issues of economic survival and racial unity over democracy, let us not be too harsh on them," he said in a blog posting.

Urging for differences to be set aside, the former minister said the first step in the path towards reform is the removal of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"Of course, that alone is not enough, and we must work together to reform the public institutions so that there can be no more abuse in the future. We can discuss the details later, but for now let's be together to reject Najib's leadership," he added.

In order for this move to succeed, the former Umno lawmaker said the lack of trust amongst reformists must be addressed.

"We must not be so haughty and condescending towards those who (we think) were once not reformists or progressives like us.

"Sometimes leaders become 'reformists' after they get the sack from their political grouping or spend time in jail. This does not in any way diminish their reformist zeal or make them any less desirable or genuine in their quest for reform.

"The world in which they lived in before did not open their hearts to reform.

"Sometimes in life it takes a drastic turn of events to make them realise the value of democracy and rule of law," he added.

Zaid has organised a gathering slated for March 27, which aims to bring together those who are against the leadership of the current prime minister.

Last week, Mahathir said he would attend the gathering since there are no other options left for him.

Najib has denied the allegations against him and blamed them on those conspiring to topple him from power.