Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes that those who prevented him from meeting Umno division members had received orders from his successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"If someone else made the decision, then these things will not happen. If Pak Lah (Abdullah) does not agree (to muzzling me), how can (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd) Nazri (Abdul Aziz) say those things about me.

"But he (Abdullah) never said he disagreed with what Nazri said. So this means, indirectly when he said his ministers will talk on his behalf, those remarks (by Nazri) were his (Abdullah's) views," he said in a special interview with the political tabloid, Era Baru .

Mahathir said except for Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Dr Rais Yatim, no other Umno supreme council member had met him.

During that meeting, the former premier said he explained to Rais why he disagreed with the current administration and questioned its decisions.

"I also met with (former Malacca chief minister Abdul) Rahim (Thamby Chik) at a wedding ceremony and I explained to him a little.

"There were those (in reference to supreme council members and cabinet ministers) who saw me but (they) appeared to be afraid. So they did not have the courage to say anything that could reach the ears of Pak Lah or his men and action could be taken against them," he added.

Not speaking the truth

Mahathir, who helmed the nation and Umno for 22 years, said he was aware that Umno divisions were told not to invite him for their functions.

"After this, Pak Lah tells a press conference that Umno divisions are free to invite anybody. He is clearly not speaking the truth," he added.

Mahathir also claimed that Umno state liaison chairpersons and menteris besar were instructed to prevent him from addressing any Umno divisions.

"I am sure that we will lose out if we cannot reprimand a leader who has made a mistake, we will be dragged down with him. What is being done now is clearly wrong, and that's why he (Abdullah) does not want me to talk.

"Newspapers, the electronic media is closed (to me), I cannot meet with Umno members. In fact, those who want to come to my office are also told not to meet (me)," he said.

According to Mahathir, this is why he decided to contest to be a delegate in the Kubang Pasu Umno division and "there was a huge campaign mounted to stop me from contesting and ensure my defeat".

In Saturday's contest, Mahathir failed in his bid to become a delegate after coming ninth out of the 15 candidates with 227 votes. The division will only send the top seven to the Umno general assembly in Kuala Lumpur in November.

Ban on political books

The former Umno president also claimed that the party leadership has forbidden stalls that are traditionally set up at the Umno headquarters during the general assembly from selling political books.

"Now they cannot sell. Why forbid it? There will be many books that attack me, sell them. If people want to believe (the books), let them believe it. But now, this cannot be done, whatever the leadership does not like is not permitted.

"There is no more freedom. Now you cannot criticise. Where is the transparency and openness which he (Abdullah) shouted about?" he said.

Mahathir also said he could not understand why Umno supreme council members kept quiet when the New Straits Times (NST) sidelined its Malay staff and replaced them with "two or three people who are known critics of Umno and have worked with the Singapore Straits Times".

"Back then, Umno struggled to buy NST so that its reports will be fair. Now, we give it to people who have no loyalty to the party," he added.