Malaysia party slaps down son of feuding leader

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 (Reuters) A son of former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad was rebuked by the ruling party today for criticising a speech by the country's current prime minister, adding fuel to a bitter row between the two leaders that has run for months.

Hostilities halted briefly after Mahathir suffered a mild heart attack last week.

But on Wednesday his son Mukhriz Mahathir, a senior official of the youth wing of the ruling UMNO party, described a speech by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to a party summit as being ''a little disappointing'' and containing nothing new.

''He made the statement without consulting us,'' UMNO youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters on the sidelines of the three-day meeting of the United Malays National Organisation.

''Since he has gone to press to do it, that's no reason for me to call him and reprimand him face to face, so I reprimand him openly,'' Hishammuddin said.

Mukhriz could not immediately be reached for comment.

A decision on disciplinary action for Mukhriz would depend on his response to the reprimand, Hishammuddin said.

''I have been very patient with him, because I realise he is caught between his personal loyalty to his father and his position,'' he added. ''That has changed because what he did has crossed the line.'' UMNO is led by Abdullah but still reveres Mahathir, whose tenure of 22 years made him Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister.

Mahathir, who stepped down late in 2003, has turned into a bitter critic of Abdullah, accusing his handpicked successor of selling out Malaysian interests, nepotism, personal betrayal and penny-pinching. Abdullah has defended himself against the charges.

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