محضير: اخيرڽ، محي الدين ڤيليه نجيب دان بلاكڠكن ساي
Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reiterated that he was not willing to work with UMNO en bloc.
In a speech delivered in Jitra, Kedah, Mahathir said he felt sorry for Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassing who he said had chosen to join forces with people accused of committing crimes in order to fulfil his premiership ambition.
“I still remember, we came up with a song along the lines of ‘united we stand, divided we fall’ when we established Bersatu.
“In the end, the one who called for a ‘divorce’ was none other than Muhyiddin, who tried to bring down Bersatu and chose Najib over me,” he added.
PETALING JAYA: Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reiterated that he was not willing to work with UMNO en bloc.
In a speech delivered in Jitra, Kedah, Mahathir said he felt sorry for Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassing who he said had chosen to join forces with people accused of committing crimes in order to fulfil his premiership ambition.
“I have been prime minister twice, so no big deal lah. It’s not that I want the position that much.
“But when a friend stabs you in the back, it hurts,” he said.
Mahathir added that during the 14th general election, he and Muhyiddin had worked hard to topple the administration of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, referring to it as a “kleptocratic government.”
“We succeeded, but those who lost tried to influence PAS and Bersatu members into forming a Malay-centric government.
“Muhyiddin (who was in agreement) urged me to leave Pakatan Harapan and work with Umno and PAS,” he said.
Mahathir explained that he rejected the idea as it made no sense to work with a party he fought against during the general election.
“Muhyiddin was willing to work with them, I wasn’t. That’s (what) politics is all about, anything can happen.
“I still remember, we came up with a song along the lines of ‘united we stand, divided we fall’ when we established Bersatu.
“In the end, the one who called for a ‘divorce’ was none other than Muhyiddin, who tried to bring down Bersatu and chose Najib over me,” he added.
Mahathir is legally the chairman of PPBM while Muhyiddin is its president.
Yesterday, TTF posted:
Given that PPBM comprises a significant number of former UMNO leaders who left the Barisan Nasional component party not too long ago, it is easy for some of these leaders to ally themselves with UMNO given Muafakat’s stability and strength in terms of numbers.
Let us not forget that Muafakat had a months-long head start and has established itself both at federal and state levels, a fact many a PPBM leader is fully aware of.
Perikatan, on the other hand, has to contend with factions in UMNO that may still hold grudges with Muhyiddin for initiating police investigations into several former UMNO ministers, including Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
If more and more PPBM leaders start sensing problems ahead, Muhyiddin will be left with nothing but crumbs should these leaders decide to shift their allegiances, some towards UMNO and the rest, Mahathir.
As it is, Mahathir has been busy holding meetings nationwide and is said to have gained support from many PPBM division heads.
Should this be true, it would lead us right back to where it all started – a split in the Malay vote and a massive onslaught by Mahathir on UMNO during the 15thgeneral election.
THE THIRD FORCE
