ALOR SETAR, June 1 — The attitude of some political leaders that they cannot be criticised is one of the main causes of disunity among the Malays, said Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) deputy president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.

The Kedah Mentri Besar said that if political leaders were more appreciative of criticisms, the split could have been avoided.

"I see this split happening because of deeds that go against the idea of unity. When speaking of unity, there must be one main goa, that of being united.

"For example, in Umno when there was obsession with the leader, it became a problem because those who criticised leaders would be fired and got thrown out of the party and that caused a split,” he told reporters here, today.

Mukhriz said this when asked to comment on the statement by Malaysian Islamic Organisation Consultative Council (MAPIM) president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid recently saying that the split among the Malays began from the political leaders which later trickled down to the bottom.

Prior to this, the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, had also expressed discontent over the split of the Malays which he said was at an alarming level.

Mukhriz, said political leaders were the cause of the problems initially that led to disunity, especially among Umno and PAS members leading to the formation of new parties like Bersatu and Amanah.

"We question the reason for an Umno-Pas coalition. It is supposed to promote positive values but if the reputation of one of them is already tarnished with hypocrisy, disunity thus becomes inevitable.

"I also hope that the people should not be too fanatical about a leader. Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself always reminded people not to be obsessed with him but instead with the struggle he brought about in the interest of the people. That had rallied support for him,” he said.

Earlier, Mukhriz had officiated the closing ceremony of the two-day ‘Mood Republic of Kedah Raya Fest’ carnival at the Tabung Haji Hotel and Convention Centre, here. — Bernama