Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has upped the ante in a bitter feud with ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, hitting out at the former leader for the first time, officials said today.

Abdullah for months has delivered muted responses to attacks from Mahathir, 82, who has accused his hand-picked successor of nepotism, corruption, economic mismanagement and wrong-headed policies.

But showing his frustration, Abdullah said late Thursday he was "disappointed and sad" over the row, and blamed Mahathir for continuing a dispute that has shocked Malaysians and the country's ruling party.

"God knows," he was quoted as saying by the state Bernama news agency, when asked what would happen next, and if the row would end. "I don't know, it's up to Dr Mahathir."

Abdullah's comments were the first after a foiled attempt at making peace with Mahathir in a two-hour meeting on Sunday, which was immediately followed by fresh attacks from the elder statesman.

In an unusual riposte, Abdullah said during the talks he refuted Mahathir's claims of nepotism involving his son Kamaluddin and Malaysian company Scomi, and accused Mahathir's sons of benefiting more under the ex-premier's tenure.

Kamaluddin is a major shareholder in the Scomi Group.

"The projects awarded to Dr Mahathir's children were far bigger than what Scomi received," said Abdullah.

"His children also received contracts, only it was not highlighted," he said.

Feeling isolated

Officials from the prime minister's office today said Abdullah's allegations of nepotism against Mahathir were his first, and demonstrated a more combative mood from the premier.

"He was still jovial with reporters, he was composed, but he's in that fighting spirit," an aide told AFP.

With no end in sight to the feud, analysts said the row was beginning to wear Malaysians down, while adding to growing uncertainty about Abdullah's leadership amid fears of an economic slowdown.

"This is the first time Malaysians are feeling that there is no collective and central purpose as a nation," said political commentator James Wong Wing On.

"A lot of people don't like Mahathir, but they acknowledge he has given the people a central sense of purpose... But now you don't have that kind of thing, so people feel isolated, lonely, atomised," he said.

Maznah Mohamad, visiting senior research fellow with the Asia Research Institute in Singapore, said the crisis further showed the "feel-good factor" around Abdullah's leadership was dissipating.

"Before, people felt it was good Abdullah Badawi was replacing Tun Mahathir and he was a breath of fresh air," said Maznah.

Now, "most Malaysians share the view that Abdullah Badawi is not an astute prime minister".