KUALA LUMPUR: Umno's disastrous outing in the six state polls last week proved that their own members now despised the party, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The former prime minister also felt that Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamid should quit as Umno president as he could no longer lead the party.
Dr Mahathir said Umno's performance had declined for a few years because the party was 'hijacked' by leaders who deprioritised the party's struggles.
Instead, they put importance on their agendas.
The situation, he said, was different from when Umno was established, and it successfully 'defeated' the British, securing Malaysia's independence and steering the country towards the nation's booming development.
"Not only did they not put Umno's struggles first, but it was more about what they could gain. (When) cash is king, (then) Umno rotted.
"Their performance had deteriorated, and they only left with 19 (state seats in six states).
"From a strong majority to building a solid government, now Umno is being detested by their members.
"Whoever disagrees with leaders will be axed. That is the Umno now. This is not the Umno that was set up but one that is 'hijacked' by those with different ideals," he said in a press conference today.
Dr Mahathir was asked about Umno's win of only 19 of 108 seats contested in the Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kelantan and Terengganu state elections.
Asked what advice he could offer Zahid, Dr Mahathir, the longest-running Umno president in history, said the former should quit.
"Resign. He (Zahid) is not eligible because of his 47 charges in court. He had asked to be a deputy prime minister because he thought that with the position, he would not be punished.
"But I hope he will be hauled to court, and there will be no influence of any sort that could save him," he said.
Dr Mahathir also took a swipe at Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim by saying the prime minister should not hold the post.
"He is not a prime minister chosen by the people. He just made a promise with his enemies so that he can become the prime minister," he said.
Dr Mahathir said this when asked about Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's call for Anwar to quit because the poll results showed that the Malays had rejected Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional.