Cabinet minister Noh Omar today lambasted Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a hypocrite for accusing the Malays of prioritising money over nationalism.

Noh said the former prime minister was the one who has sacrificed principles for personal gains.

"If Mahathir's nationalism is strong, he would not go back on what he said.

"He had once accused DAP of being chauvinist and racist, so how can he now sacrifice his own principles for personal gain?" Noh, the Housing, Local Government and Urban Well-being Minister, asked.

Noh, who is also Selangor BN chief, said this when met at a ministry event in Putrajaya.

Mahathir, in a blog posting on Monday, raised concern that the Malays no longer have the spirit of nationalism.

Now chairperson of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, Mahathir said when he was younger, the Malays had banded together to fight the British-introduced Malayan Union and had pushed for independence.

He said he had personally joined those struggles and used contributed funds out of pocket, without expecting anything in return, because he was fighting for the dignity of his people.

This spirit is lacking in the Malays today, Mahathir said, as they no longer have the same love for the nation and its people.