ALOR STAR, MALAYSIA - The Umno disciplinary board cannot sack him for asking party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down, said Jerlun MP Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir.

He added that it was not in the party constitution nor was it ethical conduct for a member who 'criticised' the party president to be sacked or have disciplinary action taken against him.

'When my father (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) was in power, many people had asked him to step down.

'But my father never asked disciplinary action to be taken against those people. He did not also sack them from the party,' Mukhriz said in response to calls for disciplinary action to be taken against him for continuously pressuring Abdullah to quit.

Even the Jerlun Umno division passed a resolution calling on Mukhriz to stop pressuring Abdullah.

Mukhriz said he respected the decision of the division committee members.

'We can have differences in opinion. But what is important is our right to speak out. We must agree to disagree. This will strengthen the party.

'If voicing opinions is not allowed, this will open the way for the Opposition to woo Umno members,' he said.

Jerlun Umno chief Datuk Abdul Rahman Ariffin said the call for Mukhriz to stop pressuring the leadership was among a three-point resolution made during a special division committee meeting on Thursday night.