FORMER Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad stated that he is open to working alongside Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin if they can reach an agreement on mutual goals, suggesting a possible reunion between the two leaders following their prior partnership under Dr Mahathir’s 2018 Pakatan Harapan government.
Dr Mahathir emphasised the importance of advocating Malay concerns while condemning those involved in corruption and criminal behaviour.
In an exclusive interview with MalaysiaNow, the 98-year-old politician also noted that the Malays were currently divided by political party which has weakened their collective strength and hindered efforts to address their concerns.
“We want to work together, but the end goals must be set out. We have split into many parties, and we have lost power. When we lose power, we cannot correct the circumstances which are detrimental to the Malays. This is why we need to unite,” he pointed out.
In 2016, Dr Mahathir and Muhyiddin co-founded Bersatu with the former as chairman and the latter as president, and the party then joined the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, which effectively ended Barisan Nasional (BN)’s six-decade dominance in the 14th General Election (GE14).
However, Dr Mahathir resigned from Bersatu following the Sheraton Move, which resulted in the fall of the PH administration and the emergence of Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration.
Dr Mahathir then established Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) and the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) coalition, although both performed poorly in the 15th General Election (GE15) last year.
On this matter, Dr Mahathir also said it would be difficult to work alongside current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as they both possess different struggle, with Dr Mahathir also expressed doubts over Anwar’s commitment to Malay rights in the past.
“Even when it comes to religion, it seems as if his views are not accepted by the Malays. This is why I cannot work with him. I am ready to work with people who understand the problems faced by the Malays,” Dr Mahathir said.
According to the former Langkawi MP, the Malays no longer supports UMNO since they have allegedly lost confidence in the party’s ability to address their concerns, citing UMNO’s poor performance GE15 which saw UMNO winning only 26 seats.
“This is why we need to unite. But who is in favour of unity? Not those who are involved in corruption or who have been sentenced to prison and so on.
“The Malay voters are thinking about the problems they face. They want someone who cares about their plight and who can do something to fix their issues,” Dr Mahathir said. – June 1, 2023
Main pic credit: Office of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
