Penang Umno delegate Musa Sheikh Fadzir today took the party leadership to task for being "pretentious".

He said these individuals "acted" like they loved the top leader to the point that they shed tears when former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced his resignation in 2003.

But now they are all keeping quiet when there is a crisis between Mahathir and current president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, said Musa in his debate during the Umno annual general assembly in Kuala Lumpur.

"Why when there is a crisis between Mahathir and Abdullah, not a single minister went to meet the former premier to resolve it. The leaders should have met with Mahathir to end the problem.

"Back then, they acted on the stage, cried and appeared confused when Mahathir wanted to step down," he said, adding that Abdullah too was left alone to handle the crisis.

Musa chided the leaders for allowing the problem to prolong for months to the point that it tainted the image of the Malays and the nation.

"The leaders should have advised Pak Lah (Abdullah) and Mahathir," he reiterated.

The Penang delegate also expressed puzzlement as to why there is a crisis between the former premier and his handpicked successor.

"As far as the people of Penang know, there has never been a time when Pak Lah had belittled Mahathir. We don't know what led Mahathir to criticise Pak Lah but Pak Lah keeps smiling.

"We are puzzled because when Mahathir resigned, he said he will completely hand over all his duties to Pak Lah," he said.

Mahathir, who skipped the Umno assembly after suffering a mild heart attack, has been on the warpath against Abdullah over the past few months.

Following the current administration's decision to scrap the half-bridge project, the former premier accused his successor of failing to protect the interest of the nation.

Bumi equity issue

Meanwhile, Musa also warned all quarters against exploiting the bumiputera equity ownership issue.

"We (the bumiputera) only want 30 percent, the remaining 70 percent can be taken by the other races," said the Bukit Mertajam Umno chief.

"Don't test the patience of the Malays and don't play with fire. We are not asking for much, only 30 percent," he added.

Musa called on the government to use its power to force both foreign and local companies to allocate 30 percent of their businesses for bumiputeras.

"If you have the power, use it to help the Malays. Don't let the Malays be insulted in their own land," he said.

There have been heated debates over the bumiputera equity ownership when two recent studies revealed that it had surpassed the 30 percent target set under the New Economic Policy (NEP).

However, the government has rejected this.