The ‘Mahathir Declaration’ (Citizens’ Declaration) does not have the support of the public, Umno supreme council member Ismail Sabri Yaakob says.

Ismail Sabri, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said the Malays especially could not accept the fact that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad could sit at the same table as DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, who is against bumiputera privileges.

"According to reports, the People's Congress spearheaded by Dr Mahathir did not gain traction with the public.

"I understand that at most only 300 to 500 people attended and it looks like the public did not respond well, and I believe the public rejected it," Ismail Sabri told reporters after witnessing the signing ceremony of a takeover agreement between Diversatech (M) Sdn Bhd and Felcra Bhd in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

He was commenting on the People's Congress in Shah Alam, Selangor, on Sunday, which was also attended by former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin as well as the Save Malaysia Gathering held at the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council field in Pandan Indah on Monday night.

'People should support Najib'

Ismail Sabri said he hoped the people would ignore the issues brought up by Mahathir and the opposition, but to support the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"The people must move forward because there are many more development agendas by the government, such as the economic problem and the fall of the ringgit which are being resolved," he said.

On the calls for the expulsion of Muhyiddin and former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir from Umno, he said the Umno supreme council had a specific procedure to determine the issue.

Meanwhile, another Umno supreme council member, Bung Mokhtar Radin, urged the people to assess for themselves the party's struggle under Mahathir by looking at his previous 'quarrels' with various top party leaders.

In Temerloh, Pahang, Umno supreme council member Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin said he was confident that the Conference of Rulers would not be influenced by Mahathir's urging for the Malay Rulers to remove Najib as prime minister.

Sharkar said this was because Najib was democratically elected to lead the nation.

- Bernama