Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today stressed that he is a democratically elected leader who works through consensus.

"I'm not a one-man show, I'm not a dictator," Najib said at the launch of the Tangga Batu Umno division meeting in Malacca today.

To illustrate his point, Najib said despite pressure from a certain individual to build a crooked bridge, he brought the matter to the Umno supreme council, which collectively decided against the bridge.

While he named no names, it was an obvious reference to his nemesis Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his cancelled crooked bridge project, which was supposed to link Malaysia with Singapore.

Najib also took another shot at Mahathir when discussing the former's decision to amend Umno's constitution to implement an electoral college system for party elections.

"I wanted to be appointed by the grassroots... If I maintained the constitution, I could easily stay on as president for more than 22 years," he said, referencing Mahathir's more than two decades in power.

He also said that when the time comes, he wants to hand over to his successor a strong party.

Mahathir and Najib have been at loggerheads, with the former actively trying to topple the premier.

The war between the two has resulted in a new divide in Umno, with Mahathir setting up Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), which would be headed by Najib's former deputy Muhyiddin Yassin, and aims to woo Umno rebels to the opposition.

Despite the pressure, Najib has refused to back down.

He reiterated this today, saying that he will continue to serve the country as long as the people support him.