TUN Dr Mahathir Mohamad has announced that he is no longer the chairman of Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) following the coalition’s demoralising loss in the 15th General Election (GE15).
The decision came about after the coalition of Malay-based parties, NGOs, academics and professionals had failed to garner voter support, leading to the 168 candidates who had contested on either a Pejuang or Putra ticket losing their deposits during the polls.
“My chairmanship of GTA is a thing of the past. I now no longer hold any position in the coalition. It (GTA) didn’t work out, and it didn’t help us win the general election,” the former prime minister was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
“If we operate as a party, we will not win. We had already tried this during GE15 and as a result GTA and Pejuang lost 125 seats.
“We were unable to registered GTA as a party and therefore GTA could not function (as a political party) and could not move forward.”
In February this year, Dr Mahathir withdrew from Pejuang along with 11 other members following the party’s decision to cut ties with GTA although the but he remained GTA Chairman.
The former Langkawi MP said the “Malay Proclaimation” is seen to be able to raise awareness to the Malays about the plight of those who are seen to have lost power in their own country.
Dr Mahathir further noted if unity among the Malays is not realised, then the position of the race will continue to deteriorate from day to day.
“The Malay Proclamation is a battle to remind the Malays not to be complacent, not to sell their land, and to demand their rights back. By right, we should be able to stand tall as a race but many Malays are still poor,” he remarked.
“If the Malays are unable to come to terms with this matter and continue to allow the country to be ruled by those who rob and steal, the Malay race will be continue to be left behind.” – May 12, 2023
Main pic credit: Nikkei Asia
