Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the campaign to remove Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is a people's movement and is not composed of any particular opposition parties.

Mahathir, in a blog posting today, titled 'The Citizens vs Najib', said there were certain quarters who tried to make it out as if the citizens' 'movement' was a movement of the opposition parties.

“It is not. The signatories of the Citizens' Declaration are ordinary people, who are mostly not members of any political parties.

“Najib tried to make the people's movement look like a movement of opposition parties. That's not true. Those who signed the declaration are just ordinary people,” he said.

Mahathir also hit out at Najib's supporters who had accused him of joining the opposition.

He said they disregarded the fact that the declaration was made not in the name of the opposition political parties, but in the name of the citizens of Malaysia.

“I am in this movement as a citizen, not as a member of any party. I have not joined any party. They (Najib's supporters) tried to say that I have joined the opposition,” he said.

“I shared this movement as a citizen, not as a member of a political party. I also do not participate in any party activities,” he said.

Mahathir and his wife Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali had left Umno for the second time in protest against Najib.

Najib has reportedly said Mahathir and his former deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, had made a big mistake in joining the opposition, adding that their actions had also incurred the wrath of Umno leaders and members.

Mahathir said the people were not calling for the overthrow of the government but merely asking Najib to step down as prime minister.

“The people are urged not to bring down the government but merely to depose Najib. If Najib is dropped, the majority party is also BN.

“With the BN remaining in power, the coalition has the right to choose a new prime minister,” he said.

“Only when Najib is no longer the prime minister that a new democracy can be restored... after the return of democracy the people can decide who will lead the country,” he added.