IF the current Umno members still believed in the party’s original struggles, they should replace their Barisan Nasional flags with Pakatan Harapan’s, said chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“I have been in Umno for more than 50 years and I can say that I love the party more than the current members.

“And if they believe in the party’s original intentions they should lower the BN flags in their houses and not pretend to hold gotong royongs in front of us in their BN shirts,” the 92-year-old told a crowd of 300 people in Tangga Batu, the home ground of Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron.

As a “Teh Tarik” session with voters was scheduled for 5pm in Kg Tampoi in Malacca, a group of 20 to 30 teenagers sporting Barisan Nasional flags and t-shirts had gathered in a field opposite the house where Dr Mahathir was due to speak.

Shortly before he arrived at 6pm, the group of teenagers marched around the field with the flags under the guise of “picking up trash”.

Earlier in the week the local Umno branch had also lodged a police report against the event.

Dr Mahathir, who led Umno for 22 years, said the party was set up with the right intentions of struggling for independence and race, religion and country, but the party has strayed from these objectives as it is led by the wrong leaders.

Speaking in his first public ceramah since his week-long enforced medical break after being warded for a chest infection, Dr Mahathir laid the blame on Prime Minister Najib Razak for destroying the party.

He said that Najib had spoiled the party as he believed “cash is king” and sought to buy support.

“But Najib doesn’t have enough money to bribe everyone. As such he set up 1Malaysia Development Bhd so that he can siphon off money to buy support for himself.”

Dr Mahathir only spoke for 20 minutes as he was due to hold a ceramah at Alor Gajah at night. – February 25, 2018.