Dr Mahathir said the party, which has yet to be named, would be referred to as 'Bebas' for now. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 7 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today announced the formation of an “independent’ Malay party which would uphold Bersatu’s original struggle.
This would be the second Malay-based party that Dr Mahathir has formed after quitting Umno in 2016 and forming Bersatu the same year.
In a press conference today, the former prime minister said the formation of the new party was important to provide a platform for Malays who are unhappy with Bersatu for joining forces with Umno.
Dr Mahathir said Bersatu, under chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, has deviated from the party’s original struggle, which is to combat corruption and the “kleptocratic” Umno led administration under then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
“The political party that we originally formed which is Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia with the goal of fighting and removing the kleptocratic government of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, has been hijacked.
“This new party will be based on the struggle for the Malays and the Pribumi. This is because, Pribumi-based parties that exist today have demeaned the dignity of the race, religion and country,’’ he said.
Dr Mahathir said the party, which has yet to be named, would be referred to as “Bebas” for now.
KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad hari ini mengumumkan penubuhan parti baharu yang belum diberikan nama rasmi, namun ia tidak terikat atau menyokong Perikatan Nasional (PN) atau Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Ahli Parlimen Langkawi itu berkata, keputusan menubuhkan parti baharu dibuat selepas hilang kepercayaan kepada Presiden Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU), Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin susulan parti berkenaan memecat keahliannya bersama lima lagi pemimpinnya.
Dr Mahathir berkata, parti baharu ini akan mendukung dasar BERSATU dahulu, selain akan bertanding sebagai blok bebas dalam pilihan raya umum (PRU) akan datang.
"Kita akan umumkan (nama parti) dalam masa terdekat. Kita harap ROS akan persetujui (penubuhan) parti baru ini.
"Oleh kerana kita sekarang ini menghadapi masalah tidak dapat bergerak dalam parti, melainkan bebas, tetapi kita ingin tubuhkan parti baharu untuk ganti (BERSATU).
"Bukan niat kami nak ada banyak sangat parti politik dalam kalangan orang Melayu. Dulu sudah ada UMNO, PAS, kemudian BERSATU.
"Sebabnya kerana UMNO, PAS dan BERSATU sudah lari dari perjuangan asal berkenaan politik orang Melayu," katanya pada sidang media di Bangunan Yayasan Al-Bukhary, hari ini.
Dr Mahathir berkata, Ahli Parlimen Jerlun yang juga anaknya, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir akan dilantik sebagai presiden parti.
Katanya, parti baharunya tidak akan bertanding pada Pilihan Raya Negeri (PRN) Sabah sebaliknya menyokong Parti Warisan Sabah (WARISAN) dalam PRN berkenaan.
Selesai sidang media ini, Dr Mahathir dijangka menghadiri satu program di sebuah hotel di Bangsar, dihadiri ahli dan pemimpin akar umbi BERSATU yang menyokongnya, bagi menyampaikan amanat mengenai tujuan penubuhan parti baru berkenaan.
Difahamkan pada majlis berkenaan, ramai ahli dan pemimpin BERSATU akar umbi yang mengumumkan keluar parti dan menyertai parti baharu dinaungi Dr Mahathir.
Dr Mahathir dan enam yang lain pada 9 Jun lalu mengemukakan saman terhadap Muhyiddin, tiga pemimpin BERSATU dan Pertubuhan Pendaftar (ROS) bagi mencabar keputusan pemecatan mereka dari jawatan masing-masing dalam parti itu.
Lima yang lain termasuk Mukhriz, bekas Ketua Angkatan Bersatu Anak Muda (ARMADA), Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman; Ahli Parlimen Simpang Renggam, Dr Maszlee Malik; bekas Timbalan Menteri Kewangan, Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah dan bekas Setiausaha Agung BERSATU, Datuk Marzuki Yahya.
Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin today hinted that Umno may not co-operate with Bersatu to win Sabah. ― Picture by Hari Anggara
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — Despite being in government federally, Umno bared its fangs today at Perikatan Nasional (PN) co-affiliate Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and signalled each party will be on its own in the coming Sabah state election that must be called in the next 60 days.
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin went on the offensive on Facebook in response to a news report citing Sabah Bersatu chief Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor saying his party is gunning to contest in at least 45 out of the 65 seats in the state legislative assembly.
“He has his party, we have ours. Bersatu exists in Sabah only because of a group of traitors.
“Umno will continue to receive the support of the grassroots,” Khaled wrote on Facebook.
He was not alone in suggesting Umno may not co-operate with Bersatu to win Sabah.
Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan was reported telling Bersatu “don’t dream” of contesting that many seats in Sabah.
“Today, Sabah Bersatu said they will contest 45 out of the 73 state seats in the upcoming Sabah election.
“Two words: Don’t dream,” he was quoted saying by Malaysiakini in a report earlier today.
Bersatu was formed in 2016 by leaders who broke away from Umno and initially allied with the Pakatan Harapan coalition, which came to power in the 2018 general elections, but withdrew in March to form the PN informal alliance with the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and PAS that is currently ruling Putrajaya.
Earlier today, national news agency Bernama reported Hajiji saying Bersatu is prepared to discuss with other parties in PN, Umno and other BN components to harness their strength to ensure victory in the Sabah election.
Shahril was also quoted saying that Bersatu should start acting like an ally if the party intends to remain friendly with Umno.
“We can discuss, we can negotiate. Sabah Umno has the autonomy to decide on the candidates and seats to be contested.
“But if Bersatu is already professing its intention to contest in 45 out of the 73 seats even before negotiations, then it is not based on wisdom and sincerity.
“In the current political scenario, Sabah Bersatu should think before making a move or statements as every action will impact the grassroots and it is not confined to Sabah,” Shahril told Malaysiakini.
He also expressed his confidence in Sabah Umno head Datuk Bung Moktar Radin to take charge of the state electoral campaign.
Experts say that Umno’s decision not to formally join Perikatan Nasional can be seen as possible retaliation against recent developments under the leadership of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. ― Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — Umno’s sensational decision not to formally join Perikatan Nasional (PN), despite being part of the same government, can be seen as possible retaliation against recent developments under the leadership of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, experts have said.
The announcement that came a mere two days after former party head Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s guilty verdict and conviction also suggested that Umno’s refusal to commit to a long-term partnership with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) could have stemmed from a loss of faith among its leaders who may have held onto the belief that being on the same side as Muhyiddin could save them from prosecution in court.
“Many Umno leaders were of the opinion that when they joined PN, it meant they were saved from action by the courts; however, this has not been the case.
“This matter (snubbing PN) was caused by the dissatisfaction of the Umno leadership and Umno grassroots with the court’s decision against Najib under PN as led by Muhyiddin Yassin,” pointed out Universiti Malaya Associate Prof Madya Awang Azman Awang Pawi to MalayMail.
At the same time, analysts also said they believe the snub also represented a warning shot and the first step by Umno to distance itself from Muhyiddin’s Bersatu, a move likely aimed at fortifying the influence of Muafakat Nasional (MN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) against the prime minister’s party when negotiations for election seats heat up.
Double-edged sword
Although Najib’s conviction would have surely improved the perception of integrity of Muhyiddin’s leadership, and by association his party, bailing from its previous alliance with Pakatan Harapan (PH) to being part of PN puts Bersatu in a tight spot in the game of political narratives, attracting both admirers and naysayers.
Awang Azman said this has caused Muhyiddin and Bersatu to find themselves in a situation more tenuous than when PN was first formed, even going so far as to suggest Parliament could be dissolved if a split vote were to occur should Umno leaders choose to be absent from the process.
He said that a possible outcome from its snub of PN could even see Umno ditch Bersatu entirely, leaving Muhyiddin’s party with little room to manoeuvre or the ability to remain competitive in the event of a general election.
Awang Azman said this was still a likely eventuality despite Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s revelation that Bersatu has expressed its intentions to join MN.
“What is for sure is that Umno and PAS will delay (including Bersatu in MN) up to the point when Parliament is dissolved, because Umno and PAS do not want to share (seats) with Bersatu.
“In this context, Bersatu will be alone if MN decides to go ahead without them and not be part of PN. It will be difficult for MN to receive Bersatu.
“This is the current issue because MN does not want to share its seats; MN will delay until the next elections to stall Bersatu from joining MN,” he suggested.
But for senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, Oh Ei Sun, Umno and MN completely ditching Bersatu might seem like a possible outcome, but felt it would be unlikely to occur in the near future.
Umno’s decision not to be a component party of PN was announced by Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Thursday. ― Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
“Would Umno go ahead and completely break off from PN, meaning its MPs no longer support Muhyiddin? I don’t think so, because that would lead to the collapse of the government and the other side might become the government, and it will be even worse news for Zahid and Najib,” he said.
Oh said if MN’s breakaway from Bersatu does materialise, then Muhyiddin and his party would be at the mercy of anyone willing to work with them, leaving them caught “between a rock and a hard place.”
He reiterated the point that Umno and PAS with MN would not be willing to give up any of their seats to Bersatu, while at the same time, would try and recapture seats lost to Muhyiddin’s party during the last election.
“And if Bersatu tries to go back to the other side (Opposition), of course, the other side will look at them as traitors.
“So I think Bersatu will be hard put in the next general election; I don’t know how they will survive,” said Oh, whose opinion was echoed by Awang Azman.
Signs of uncertainty
For one analyst, however, Umno’s refusal to commit to PN could also suggest confusion or indecisiveness among the party’s leadership over which alliance would best benefit them.
Universiti Putra Malaysia political scientist Jayum Jawan said he believes the move not to formalise its position in PN was made to allow Umno to keep its political options open.
This, on the flipside, he said, also highlights the contrast in Umno’s position which sees its lawmakers still in support of Muhyiddin, Bersatu, and PN to maintain its role at the helm of the federal government, while on the party level, it has clearly denounced any intention to formalise a partnership.
“Umno appears to be in a very precarious position. It is easy to say that Umno is not supporting PN, because at the same time, Umno is part of BN, and also part of MN.
“But it appears that Umno and its leadership are at a crossroads and are indecisive, or perhaps even confused, as to what they really want to do,” he suggested.
Umno’s decision not to be a component party of PN was announced by Zahid on Thursday.
But despite it coming on the heels of Najib’s guilty verdict, he stressed that the decision was made on July 24 by the party’s supreme council.
When pressed to reveal if the decision against joining PN was indeed in reaction to Najib’s conviction, Zahid told reporters to interpret the situation on their own, without elaborating further.
The PN government is currently made up of MPs from Bersatu, PAS and Umno, along with component parties of BN and those aligned with Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
Muhyiddin’s Bersatu currently has 31 parliamentary seats, trailing Umno’s 39 seats; PAS and GPS as the government’s main components have 18 seats each.
.jpg "Dr Mahathir said the party, which has yet to be named, would be referred to as 'Bebas' for now. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri")
