PUTRAJAYA, Aug 8 — Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (picture) was uncharacteristically taciturn today when asked about his successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s broadside against him in a soon-to-be released book.

Abdullah had blamed his predecessor and biggest critic for cutting short his tenure as the country’s fifth prime minister in his book, “Awakenings: The Abdullah Badawi Years in Malaysia”, due out next week.

The country’s fourth and longest-serving PM had been unrelenting in his criticism against Abdullah, whom he had handpicked to succeed him in October 2003 but pressured to make way for Datuk Seri Najib Razak despite winning Election 2008.

“I’m studying his book,” Dr Mahathir told reporters at Najib’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house celebration here.

Abdullah said in the book, edited by political analysts Bridget Welsh and James Chin, that Dr Mahathir “cannot deny that he contributed to the erosion of BN’s (Barisan Nasional) support in the 2008 general election through his open and unwarranted criticism and attacks.”

“Calling my administration, which included a majority of people from his own Cabinet, as a ‘half-past-six government’ and accusing us of corruption and all kind of things,” he added.

BN won a resounding mandate in the 2004 general election after Abdullah, known as “Mr Clean”, pledged to eradicate endemic corruption and institute political reforms.

But Abdullah’s reforms, such as passing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Judicial Appointments Commission and Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) Acts, came only after Election 2008, where BN had lost its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Abdullah also noted in the book that reports of pro-Mahathir Malay bloggers conspiring to topple him have yet to be denied.

The country’s fifth prime minister, popularly known as Pak Lah, said that many of the bloggers were “richly” rewarded with titles and money and that “a lot of money was spent” in the campaign against him.