Former Malaysia PM Mahathir Mohamad to Form New Political Party

Kuala Lumpur, 10 Syawal 1437/15 July 2016  (MINA)  – Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has vowed to launch a new political party, in order to challenge the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) led by Premier Najib Razak, Anadolu reported.

The 90-year-old, the country’s longest serving prime minister, said Thursday that he would be a founding member of the yet-to-be named party.

“I think there is a need for a new party to be formed to represent people who are not yet in the group, who have the same objective of this group,” he told reporters in administrative capital Putrajaya.

The party stems from the “Save Malaysia” movement — formed to collect signatures of Malaysians seeking the resignation of Razak as prime minister following alleged monetary mismanagement in state wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and the discovery of personal donations reported to be from Saudi Arabian royals that were discovered in his accounts.

The former premier said Thursday that the movement will remain as a component of the new political party, and the group has accepted the proposal.

“I will be among the leadership, but not necessarily the president,” Mohamad added, saying a date still had to be set for the party’s launch but it would be as soon as possible.

Mohamad said that the need for a new party arose after members of the Save Malaysia movement came to him and said that they did not find existing parties “attractive”.

“So we provided a vessel for them to join, so that indirectly they are an entity in this grouping” (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)