KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s former premier Mahathir Mohamad has quit Parti Pejuang Tanah Air, a Malay party he founded just over two years ago, indicating a split in political direction with his son Mukhriz Mahathir, who currently heads the party.
Tun Dr Mahathir, 97, was one of 13 Pejuang members who sent in a notice to party secretary-general Amiruddin Hamzah on Friday, saying that they were leaving the party and will now continue their political journey with Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA), a coalition of Malay-Muslim parties and non-governmental organisations that Pejuang was previously a part of.
The resignation letter was shared by GTA secretary Marzuki Yahya, who was among those who quit Pejuang along with Dr Mahathir.
Dr Mahathir founded Pejuang in 2020, and later founded GTA along with several other Malay-Muslim parties in August 2022, ahead of the 15th General Election that took place last November.
After the Pejuang-led GTA returned empty-handed from the national polls, with all their candidates – including Dr Mahathir – losing their deposits, he quit as Pejuang chairman. But he stayed on as GTA chairman amid reports that Pejuang was considering leaving GTA.
Pejuang, of which Datuk Seri Mukhriz is president, announced on Jan 14 that it was formally leaving GTA after its members came to a consensus at the party’s annual general meeting.
“The decision by Pejuang to cut ties with GTA automatically removes us from the party, as we are continuing our struggle under the GTA platform,” Dr Mahathir said.
On Saturday, he said Pejuang’s move signalled a rejection of him. “Pejuang rejecting GTA is like rejecting me. This is because I am in GTA but Pejuang does not want to be with us.”
Pejuang also resolved to open negotiation channels with the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) or opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalitions ahead of six state elections due in 2023.
Dr Mahathir has a frosty relationship with both PH chief Anwar Ibrahim – Malaysia’s current prime minister – and PN chief Muhyiddin Yassin, who succeeded Dr Mahathir as premier in 2020.
Dr Mahathir is Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister, serving for a total of 24 years over two non-consecutive terms.
He led the Barisan Nasional government as PM from 1981 until 2003, before returning to power in 2018 after leading PH to its first victory in national polls, while heading Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
However, he lasted only 22 months on the job before abruptly resigning, leading to the collapse of the PH administration. He subsequently resigned as Bersatu chairman, before being sacked by the party in May 2020. He then went on to form Pejuang.
The 2022 polls saw Dr Mahathir lose his Langkawi ward in his home state of Kedah – the first time he had suffered an election defeat in 53 years. He has held various federal seats in the state for nine terms.
