Dr Mahathir Mohamad today dismissed claims that he believes nobody is good enough to succeed him, pointing out he would have stayed on as prime minister if this was the case.

"If I thought no one was good enough, I would never have resigned.

"I would have stayed on and on until I drop dead," the 90-year-old former premier told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

However, Mahathir said he stepped down as prime minister in 2003 because he did believe there would be someone good enough to replace him.

"There must be people who are better than me and we should give them a chance.

"But when I see damage is being done to the country, it would be wrong not to criticise," he said.

On another matter, Mahathir admitted that many independence-era ruling parties have long seen their demise and Umno is struggling to stay relevant.

"I must admit Umno has lasted much longer than other parties. But it too has gone through a process of deterioration," he said.

Mahathir said the principle objective of Umno now was no longer as important compared to during the time of its inception.

"Now they (Umno members) ask 'what do I get for being in Umno? In the past, it was about getting independence for the country," he said.