Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that the relevant ministries would reply to the questions raised by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

According to Bernama , Abdullah said the answers would be given in detail.

"The answers can be put out but this has got to be done by the relevant ministries, not by me," he was quoted as saying by his assistant press secretary Wan Esuriyanti Wan Ahmad.

Mahathir had said he wanted explanations from the government on several issues including the government's decision to scrap the half-bridge project, the sale of Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Augusta to a euro 2 company, the managerial decisions made by Proton and the discrepancies in the issuance of Approved Permits (AP) to import cars.

Last week, the former premier unleashed a volley of criticism against his successor but later said it was nothing personal.

Mahathir had even suggested to the media that he could have made the wrong choice in naming Abdullah as his successor.

The former premier came under intense criticism from past and present leaders for his comments.

Calm and composed

According to Wan Esuriyanti, Abdullah wanted to clarify a statement by Johor Bahru MP Shahrir Abdul Samad who was reported as saying that MPs left it to Abdullah to explain to the people the criticisms.

Shahrir had made the comment after he and a group of MPs and senators expressed their support for Abdullah's leadership at a closed-door meeting yesterday.

The New Straits Times (NST) reported that 78 Umno MPs and senators had met with the prime minister. The meeting was organised by the Backbenchers Club.

The daily said the explanations to Mahathir's questions might be bound in one document and made public.

However, NST said it was unclear if the document would be a tell-all read because Abdullah told the MPs and senators who met him that he did not want anyone hurt in the process.

According to the daily, what surprised Abdullah's audience was his calm tone and refusal to blame anyone for the controversy.