PETALING JAYA: Former DAP politician Hew Kuan Yau (pic), popularly known as "Superman", may have flown into another controversy by likening Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to a "keris" that can be used to eliminate Umno.

In a Facebook posting accompanied by an image of a keris, he quoted from a Chinese saying: "If you want to carry out a task, you have to sharpen your tools".

He said that to get rid of Umno in the rural area, the "old horse" is the sharpest weapon to use.

"Remember that the old horse can be the public's tool against Najib," he wrote.

The "old horse" refers to Dr Mahathir, whose name sounds like the Chinese word for horse.

Hew's posting is reminiscent of the controversy he sparked off during the Sarawak election, when his "screw the Malays" phrase rubbed people the wrong way.

Hew, who was then campaigning in Kuching, had urged voters to support DAP candidate Abdul Aziz Isa, so that the party could use a Malay to attack the Malays.

In his Facebook post, he chided those who still harbour hatred for Dr Mahathir, saying that they were unable to see what needed to be done. He also urged voters to make use of the old Umno strength to eliminate Umno.