KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he would finalise the list of names of those who practised money politics in Umno once he was assured there was enough evidence to support the allegations.

"I have to be very sure before I put in the list. If I have evidence and Umno is not taking any action, then I will put in the list. I hope the (party's) disciplinary board will act on it in two weeks."

Dr Mahathir was reported as saying recently that all the reports received by him on money politics in Umno would be forwarded to the party's disciplinary board for further action.

He also planned to submit the reports to the Anti-Corruption Agency.

Should these two means fail to produce results, he would reveal the names of those involved together with the reports in his blog.

Dr Mahathir said bold action was needed to restore Umno's image and position, which was increasingly being tarnished by rampant money politics.

On reports that corrupt practices existed during his tenure as prime minister, Dr Mahathir said he had always admitted it "but, not on the scale you are seeing now".

On another matter, he said it was unfair to deny Malaysians the opportunity to acquire knowledge through English.

"The discovery of new knowledge is happening fast and furious. To have direct access to it is to master the language it is written in, which is English."

He told participants of the English and Asia 2008 First International Conference on Language and Linguistics organised by the International Islamic University Malaysia that it would take long for such material to be translated into Bahasa Malaysia by those fluent in both the language and English.

As for those against the teaching of science and mathematics in English, Dr Mahathir said it was strange because many of them had acquired their knowledge of both fields through the language that they were now opposing.