Dr Mahathir won’t contest elections, but wants Putra to form new anti-corruption coalition for GE16

Ida Lim
·3-min read
Malay Mail
Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has already decided he will not be an election candidate again, but wants the Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra), which he has just joined, to form an anti-corruption coalition to run in the 16th general election (GE16) due in five years’ time, a report said.

In an interview with Japanese financial publication Nikkei Asia, Dr Mahathir said he had joined Putra to “give myself a platform”, and hopes that the party will run in GE16 as part of a new coalition.

“We want to collect all the people who are against corruption to contest together as a group. So if we can get Putra to be joined by other political parties, NGOs and even individuals, we may be able to contest ... not as Putra but as a group of people who are concerned about the situation in the country,” he was quoted as saying by Nikkei Asia.

He confirmed that this coalition would contest in GE16.

Dr Mahathir contested in the 15th general election (GE15) but failed to defend the Langkawi parliamentary seat and even lost his deposit.

He contested as the chairman of the three-year-old party Parti Pejuang Tanah Air which he had helped found, but he had on February 10 quit Pejuang and subsequently joined Putra the same month.

While confirming he would not run in GE16 as a candidate, Dr Mahathir reportedly said he will be “very active in helping the party”.

“I cannot play a positive role in politics in Malaysia because of my age. But I have gone through a very long period in the politics of Malaysia, more than 80 years. I have experienced a lot of changes in Malaysia. And I would be willing to help, to advise future governments of Malaysia on how best to develop the country,” he was quoted as saying by Nikkei Asia.

In the same interview, Dr Mahathir said he intends to write on Malaysia’s history to include all events that are not reported in existing history books, stressing the need to have young people know the country’s history to ensure they appreciate the “struggle for independence and how we managed to develop the country”.

“When they know that, I think they will continue the process and the country will become better developed,” he said, but also confirmed he has not started writing as he has been “very busy commenting on the present situation of the country.”

Among other things, Dr Mahathir said in the interview that it would be “very difficult” for corruption to be removed from Malaysian politics, claiming that Datuk Seri Najib Razak had “promoted corruption” during his previous tenure as prime minister.

“He said cash is king. So everybody now expects to be given something for whatever service they provide. Whether it is an ordinary service or it is during election, people will vote according to bribes they would receive,” he was quoted as saying by Nikkei Asia.

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