(Oct 28): Retired prime ministers should be dignified, said an Umno minister in a swipe at Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who has been calling for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's removal.

Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the crux of the problem is discipline, warning that no political entity can survive if both its leaders and members do not toe the line.

"We need to have a culture where former prime ministers should retire with dignity.

"The bottom line is discipline within the party. No political party can survive if discipline is not observed from both leaders and followers," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby this evening.

Dr Mahathir has been criticising Najib and asking for his resignation over alleged scandals involving mismanagement of the prime minister's brainchild, state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) as well as RM2.6 billion deposited into his personal bank accounts.

Malaysia's longest serving prime minister has also accused Najib of being a dictator and undemocratic in his use of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) against 1MDB critics.

Rahman said Umno has always been strong because of its discipline, and that was the reason the Malay party, which is the lynchpin of ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) pact, has been able to govern Malaysia for so long.

"As far as I'm concerned, everybody must toe the line in terms of discipline. You can have different views but you have to use the appropriate avenue to explain your position," he said.

Asked if Umno should take action against those who openly criticised the party, the Kota Belud MP was non-committal.

"We'll see. I think if we look from the disciplinary point of view, I believe there are some grounds to bring some people to task and for them to be judged over a breach of discipline," he said, adding that as an Umno member, even Dr Mahathir is subject to the same party rules and regulations. – The Malaysian Insider