Hishammuddin said it was a misjudgment by Dr Mahathir, but it was still up to the former premier whether to apologise.
“If luck is not with him, the party will not be accepted even an inch here,” he said after opening the Pengerang Umno delegates meeting here today.
It was reported that the former prime minister when asked for his opinion on the concept of Bangsa Johor recently, had commented that unity among Malaysians could collapse if states practised parochialism.
Pengarang MP Azalina Othman Said, an Umno Supreme Council member, said that although Dr Mahathir was a former prime minister, it did not mean that he could be rude and touch on sensitive issues.
“We want to stress here that Johor Umno has always had strong discipline and gave priority to the party more than anything, thus, do not ever touch on the issue of Bangsa Johor or Sultan of Johor.
“If he does not understand the real meaning of the concept, it is also not unreasonable for the Pengerang Umno division to say that we do not regret that Dr Mahathir left the party,” she added.