'Dejected' Dr M breaks silence after crushing defeat, to become historian

On the night of Nov 19, the nation witnessed the curtain coming down on an illustrious political career which spanned more than seven decades.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad was routed in the “battle of Langkawi”, an island off Kedah which he had turned into an international tourist destination.

Tasting defeat after 54 years, the former premier finished fourth among five candidates and lost his deposit.

The Gerakan Tanah Air movement, which he headed, was also crushed. All 168 candidates, including Mahathir’s son, Mukhriz, lost their deposits.

After four days of silence, a “sad” Mahathir took to Twitter to share his thoughts and plans.

The 97-year-old politician noted that Pejuang, formed in the aftermath of the Pakatan Harapan government’s collapse in 2020 and with his son as its president, would not even be in the opposition since all of its 125 candidates lost.

Pejuang, he said, is forced to drop all its plans for the nation.

“I hope the victor (pihak yang menang) will form the government… Pejuang prays that whoever becomes the government would be able to resolve the nation’s problems,” he added.

Mahathir’s remarks come amid the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah’s efforts to resolve the stalemate on whether Pakatan Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim or his Perikatan Nasional counterpart Muhyiddin Yassin would be the next prime minister.

As for the nonagenarian, who occupied the prime minister’s post twice and played an instrumental role in making and unmaking his successors, his focus now would be on writing.

“I will focus on writing about history and activities in the country.

“Many events remain unrecorded, including what transpired during the British era. I am also open to being interviewed by writers,” he added.

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