KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 ― Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad must remember he is no longer Umno president nor the country’s leader and should make way for others to do their job, party information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan said today.

Ahmad called on the former prime minister of 22 years to give incumbent Umno president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak a chance to perform his duty and take Malaysia forward.

“Tun Mahathir's era has passed. He was great during his time. Now he is no more PM. The current PM has plans for the future, he should be given a chance. Give him a chance lah,” Ahmad told reporters when met outside the Dewan Merdeka at the Putra World Trade Centre here were Umno’s general assembly is underway.

The Pontian MP also said there is a “generation gap” between the 90-year-old party elder and Najib, 62, and added that there would be a difference in how things are now run.

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“He is one generation younger. There is a generation gap. Give him his chance to do what he has planned,” the 49-year-old said of Najib.

Ahmad asserted that Umno is open to criticism, but added that Dr Mahathir’s remarks were destructive rather than constructive and urged the veteran politician to desist his attacks against Najib.

“I plead with him as Umno information chief, stop criticising Najib. This is not constructive.

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“We accept constructive criticism but destructive criticism we cannot accept. Now, Tun Mahathir's criticisms are no more constructive already. The majority of his criticisms are no more constructive at all,” he said.

Once seen as a mentor to Najib, Dr Mahathir has become the prime minister’s fiercest critic in the last few months and even campaigned for the Pahang-born’s resignation from office to take responsibility for the alleged mismanagement of state-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad and the country’s economic slump, among other issues.