KUALA LUMPUR:Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday said he regarded Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s criticism of him as an internal party matter.

“We hope this matter can be resolved in the best way possible for Umno as a whole,” he said.

He also did not rule out the possibility of holding a dialogue with Dr Mahathir in the near future.

Najib, who is also Umno president, said he still commanded the full support of the Umno leadership and that a number of party leaders had pledged their support for the current administration.

“Many Umno leaders have made their comments on the matter and made it clear they support the leadership. At the same time, they still respect Dr Mahathir as an elder statesman,” Najib said after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday.

Dr Mahathir had, in a blog posting on Aug 19, criticised Najib’s administration, saying that leaders who were not criticised would not realise they made mistakes.

On another matter, Najib said Umno was in the midst of identifying the most suitable candidate to contest the upcoming Pengkalan Kubur by-election.

“The former state assemblyman (Umno’s Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar) was a popular figure and we must find someone who can fill his shoes.

“We are conducting a survey among the electorate there to see who is well liked. The potential candidate must also prove to be a good and effective leader.”

-NST