Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad quipped that he would have stepped down earlier if he knew that Barisan Nasional (BN) would perform better in his absence.

"When I wanted to step down, many people said that if I was not around, BN would not get a landslide victory but I knew this was not true," he told an Umno dinner held in in his tribute in Kuala Lumpur last night.

Mahathir, who reigned for 22 years before handing over his duties to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last November, said the election results proved that the latter was a capable leader.

Stating that the BN had won 90 per cent of seats it contested, he joked: "If I had known this, I would have stepped down sooner".

"The results clearly show that the rakyat support my successor and I hope Umno will continue to improve.

"I have no advice for Umno leaders facing party elections soon, but just a reminder that the party is bigger than the individual. Whatever we do, ensure that we prioritise the party," he was quoted as saying by national news agency Bernama.

Still serving

In his speech earlier, Abdullah said the former premier had contributed immensely and sacrificed much for the development of Umno and the country.

"He is still serving (the country) because it is in his blood to contribute ideas for the development of the country and the Malays in particular," said Abdullah, who is also acting Umno president.

He said Mahathir had handed over Umno to him when the party was strong and this strength would be preserved.

Abdullah added that Umno was fortunate because since the party was formed, it was blessed credible and determined leaders.

The premier said Umno members should thank Mahathir who had made Umno stronger and more progressive and who had endeavoured to achieve the Vision 2020.

He called on Umno members to pledge to continue the success achieved by Mahathir and he was confident that this would be the best gift to the country's fourth prime minister.

He also thanked Mahathir's wife, Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali who was also present, for looking after the premier and assisting him during his tenure.

Membership increase

Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Khalil Yaakob said during Mahathir's leadership from June 16, 1981 to Oct 31, 2003, the party's membership rose from 872,796 to 2.81 million.

He said the number of divisions rose from 114 to 191 and branches from 5,870 to 19,000 and the party also "penetrated Sabah in 1991 with 74,625 members".

He added that by 2003, the number of Sabah Umno members had risen to 431,418.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and almost all party leaders were present at the dinner.