KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2, 2006): Umno yesterday cautioned former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad against going overboard with his criticism of the government, saying he should "know his limits".

The party's supreme council decided this at a meeting which shot down a proposal from Umno Kedah to remove Mahathir from his advisory positions in government-linked companies and statutory bodies.

Speaking after chairing the meeting, Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said no one in the party was immune from disciplinary action if they made a mistake.

"Nobody is immune ... it's a matter for us to decide whether there is going to be action or not. For the time being, we are not going to take action against him."

On how Umno was going to handle Mahathir's continuing tirade, he said they would reply him openly when he made a remark or criticised the government openly. This is so that the people will also know the government's response.

After their brokered two-hour meeting recently, Mahathir held two press conferences in two days to reveal what happened and in the process, further criticised Abdullah.

In a statement posted on the Internet, Mahathir had accused the administration of creating a climate of fear, by preventing him from speaking at public forums.

Asked how the people were accepting Umno's explanation of Mahathir's accusations, Abdullah said he believed the people understood and had accepted the party's explanation. He also said Umno was not afraid to act against its former president, adding that there was no need for drastic action at this point in time.

However, he warned: "He should know what the limits are. There is no need to ask what we are going to do and when we are going to do it and what the limits are.

"We will hear and we always get reports of his activities from members."

Asked if the Umno veterans' group Mubarak had sent him a letter asking for a second meeting with Mahathir and whether he would agree, he dismissed it as a speculative question.

He was also asked about a Keadilan leader's police report that Mahathir and he had abused their powers to benefit their children. Abdullah said he had never abused his power on matters involving his children.

Asked if he was willing to declare his children's assets, he said: "That is my family's right. They have not done anything wrong to warrant them declaring their assets."