An aide to former Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has denied any link to a DVD which shows the ex premier being critical of the current government, a report said today.

Mahathir has made no secret of his displeasure over the performance of current Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and has launched a series of attacks against him in recent weeks.

But an aide to Mahathir denied involvement in the set of two DVDs reportedly being distributed in the country, saying they had nothing to do with the former leader or a foundation he heads.

"The DVD has nothing to do with the foundation or (Mahathir)," the aide was quoted as saying in the Star daily.

Mahathir and his aides could not be immediately reached for further comment.

According to influential news website Malaysiakini, the two-hour DVD contains a recording of a speech made by Mahathir last year and shows a question and answer session at an invitation-only event with ethnic Malay professionals.

Malaysiakini said the DVD was being circulated as the ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno), headed by Abdullah, celebrated its 60th birthday last week.

Umno's culture

A photo of the DVD shows a beaming Mahathir on the cover.

On the disc, Mahathir roundly attacks the government for "lacking courage", according to Malaysiakini .

"If you want things to be right, you have to take the risk. But what I see now is a desire to avoid risks at all cost even if the country goes to the dogs," Mahathir is quoted as saying.

Smear campaigns are part of Umno's political culture.

When Mahathir sacked his heir apparent, former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, in September 1998, the move was preceded by the distribution of a book called 50 Reasons Why Anwar Cannot Be PM .

The book, for which Anwar last year won over a million dollars in damages, was distributed to delegates at the an Umno general assembly in May 1998.

"Poison pen letters" - usually anonymous missives with sensational allegations against leaders and prominent figures - are also popular in political circles.