Ex-Bersatu leader who criticised Najib rally to join new party

Summary

• Ex-Bersatu leader Mahathir Mohd Rais will join a new party after leaving Perikatan Nasional following its support for a rally in solidarity with jailed former PM Najib Abdul Razak.

• When asked if he is joining PKR, he declined to comment.

• It appears he will join a ruling party as he voiced support for the government’s agenda of rebuilding the country.

Former Bersatu leader Mahathir Mohd Rais will be joining a new party after he left Perikatan Nasional following its support for a rally backing jailed former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

When asked if he is joining PKR, he declined to comment, saying he is still going through the membership process with the new party.

“I need to go through the proper membership process and follow the necessary steps. It’s still early, but once everything is finalised, I’ll update you,” he told Malaysiakini.

Based on his comment, it appears Mahathir will be moving to a ruling party as he said he prefers to support the government’s agenda of rebuilding Malaysia.

He made it clear that he no longer wants to be associated with Bersatu as well.

Mahathir, who was the Bersatu and Federal Territories PN secretary, announced his resignation last month.

‘The struggle no longer exists’

In a statement on Friday (Jan 31), he said he left Bersatu as party members prioritised their personal agendas over principles.

“I didn’t leave Bersatu because I lost faith in the struggle - I left because the struggle no longer exists.

“But when a party that once stood for integrity starts justifying corruption, what’s left to fight for?” he added.

On Dec 30, he expressed disappointment over coalition member PAS rallying in support of Najib, calling it “disheartening” and reeking of “political opportunism”.

Previously, Umno and PAS agreed to stand together in a solidarity rally for Najib on Jan 6 at the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya.

Although Umno later backed out, PAS continued as planned, mobilising its members and supporters for the rally.

Afterwards, Bersatu supreme council member Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, who was also present at the rally, said his party had no issues with PAS’ aggressive defence of Najib.

Admiration for PM

In his statement, Mahathir expressed admiration for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, saying that the country is making progress under the PKR president.

“With clear policies and a long-term vision, Anwar is laying the foundation for economic resilience and national progress,” he said.

Besides that, he condemned the federal opposition, pointing out that it has no clear prime ministerial candidate.

Last month, PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin said the Islamist party should lead the opposition coalition, citing its political strength compared to Bersatu.

For the record, PAS has 43 parliamentary seats in the Dewan Rakyat to Bersatu’s 25.

In response, Wan Fayhsal said PN’s candidate for prime minister will be decided by all parties in the coalition internally.

He also named four individuals that he believed to be suitable for the role: Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin, PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, and PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

In the previous general election, PN’s prime ministerial candidate was Muhyiddin.

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