PEJUANG chairperson Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has taken a swipe at Bersatu for “backstabbing” a friend to come into power through “backdoor” means.
The Langkawi MP lamented that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had used the Bersatu and PKR leaders’ greed to bring down the legitimate Pakatan Harapan (PH) Government.
“Where is Bersatu now? The party no longer has anymore power,” the 97-year-old former prime minister said in a social media post today (Oct 4).
“Bersatu will also lose in the 15th general election (GE15) as it does not have the support of UMNO and PAS and this is a fitting comeuppance for a party that has backstabbed a friend to come into power through the back door.”
According to Mahathir, the Sheraton Move in February 2020 – which had led to the fall of the Pakatan Harapan Government – was what had triggered the country’s political instability.
Bersatu paid for its folly of getting involved in the Sheraton Move after its president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was toppled as the prime minister and replaced by UMNO’s Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, he added.
“A party that was rejected by the rakyat is now the government and as the government, UMNO gets to decide when to hold the election,” Mahathir remarked.
He further criticised UMNO for pushing for an early election despite warnings of the monsoon season, saying the party was only concerned about coming into power and had little regard for the people’s welfare.
“Keep giving out goodies to entice the rakyat to vote for UMNO and BN. Who cares that there will be major floods and heavy winds in November and that people will suffer losses and might lose their lives,” he said sarcastically.
“The Government has determined that UMNO supporters can cast their votes [during the monsoon season]. After all, cash and food aid can be handed out later on.” – Oct 4, 2022
Main photo credit: Bloomberg