The government will not be ejecting the Perdana Leadership Foundation from its present office in Putrajaya despite speculation about this, its honorary president Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

He said both the foundation’s building and the land it sits on are private property sponsored by the business community, and hence the government has no business to ordering the foundation to vacate.

“This land belongs to a group of business people who initially suggested that they build a library in my name. I rejected that because people would think that these people are my cronies.

“I said that if they want to have a building that is dedicated to the study of all the previous prime ministers and not just me, I’d agree.

“So instead of being a commemoration of my premiership, it is now for all (former) prime ministers, including Abdullah Badawi and all the upcoming ones,” Mahathir told reporters at his office today.

“They bought the land; they built the building,” he said, adding that the business community pays for its maintenance as well.

However, Mahathir said, the government does rent some office space in the Perdana Leadership Foundation building and that it would cease to do so.

The foundation headed by Mahathir has been increasingly been targeted by Umno members who don’t agree with his vocal opposition to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

These groups have also lobbied for Mahathir to be removed as adviser to Petronas and chairperson of national carmaker Proton.

Mahathir was eventually sacked from his Petronas post and he then resigned from his Proton post, as well from as several other positions in government agencies.

On Friday last week, the Umno supreme council decided that the government should cease all funding for the Perdana Leadership Foundation, although the foundation responded saying that it does not receive government funding in the first place.

“This building and this land do not belong to the government. At first they thought they belong to the government, but they don’t belong to the government.

“But the government rented space here, and of course they will not rent anymore,” Mahathir said today.