Umno is gone, says Dr Mahathir

Chan Kok Leong Chan Kok Leong Updated 5 years ago · Published on 22 Oct 2018 8:31PM · 5 Comments

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says the Umno that he previously headed is gone, as the party is now only focused on defending corrupt leaders like former president Najib Razak and current chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who have both been charged with corruption. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, October 22, 2018.

THERE is no future for Umno because it has “deluded” members who continue to defend crooked leaders, Dr Mahathir Mohamad told a forum today.

“Umno is gone. The Umno I joined delivered on the promises it made for race, religion and country.

“The Umno struggle has now turned into how to keep Najib Razak as the biggest thief of all. That’s not Umno.

“It’s okay if there was only one corrupt leader but there are many at the different levels,” said Dr Mahathir, who joined Umno in 1946. He quit the party in 2016 to form Bersatu.

The 93-year-old said Umno members were deluded as some continued to defend former president Najib, who has been charged with corruption, and believed his claims of receiving “donations from Saudi Arabia”.

“Even after leaving Umno, some continue to say the money came from the Arabs. Which mad Arab would give so much money?” said Dr Mahathir at the forum organised by Sinar Harian in Shah Alam. The event was moderated by veteran journalist Johan Jaafar.

When asked if Umno’s corruption was due to a system he perpetuated when he was party president from 1981-2003, Dr Mahathir replied that he had always accepted challenges.

“Musa Hitam and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah challenged me and even Anwar Ibrahim disagreed with me. But I did not sack them,” said the 93-year-old.

While Musa and Tengku Razaleigh left Umno to form Semangat 46 after losing to Dr Mahathir in the party polls in 1987, Anwar was sacked from the cabinet and Umno in 1997 before he was charged for sodomy and abuse of power.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad answered questions on a wide range of topics as the packed hall listened. The forum was organised by Sinar Harian in Shah Alam today. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Afif Abd Halim, October 22, 2018.

The Pakatan Harapan chairman said that Umno had many “blind loyalists” who refused to accept facts.

When asked if the same could happen in PH, Dr Mahathir said the difference was that the new coalition had a better power structure.

“Pakatan is a coalition of four parties, all with almost equal strength. It would fall if any party left and that’s why we always have to listen to one another. If one of us is wrong, we will be criticised internally,” said the Pakatan chairman.

On Umno’s allegation that its leaders – Najib and current party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi – were charged because of political persecution, the Bersatu chairman said: “Show us the proof”.

“We didn’t fabricate these charges. They were charged by the Attorney-General, who is not from any of the parties.

“In order for him (Tommy Thomas) to charge them, he must ensure there is sufficient proof.”

He said that Umno should prove their leaders are innocent.

Najib faces 32 charges of money laundering, corruption and abuse of power over money allegedly from 1MDB being siphoned into his personal accounts, while Zahid faces 45 charges involving funds from a charity foundation of which he is a trustee. – October 22, 2018.

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Comments

  • Well said Tun Dr M....

    Posted 5 years ago by Sweesing lee · Reply

  • To its credit, historically, Umno played a pivotal role under its President, Tunku Abdul Rahman, in leading MCA & MIC to Malayan independence (Merdeka) in 1957. Malayans then were meant by our British colonial rulers to share power equitably by democratic governance. No race was contemplated to be sidelined. The Malays were given special status via rights and privileges guaranteed in our Constitution. (Were these special rights,etc granted because the British had observed & recognized the rather laid-back nature, if any, of many Malay people, and that they would therefore need some extra assistance to better themselves economically? But no one was meant to be left behind! It was to be all-inclusive betterment. But it seems that after sometime things didn't quite work out the way it was planned, especially when the May 13, 1969 race riots occurred between the Malays and the Chinese..

    Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • To our Mentor Leader The One The Only PM Tun Dr Mahathir for Malaysian Long Live Tun Dr Mahathir Allah Blessings.

    Posted 5 years ago by Danial Abdullah · Reply

  • Looking back now, we can say that we had no hint about Umno's impending departure in GE 14. There wasn't even a "Going". It was just all of a sudden "Going. Going. AND SUDDENLY Gone!"..

    Posted 5 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • When Dr Mahathir Mohamad was in power there was found some large indiscrepancies in the accounts of Bank Bumiputra Finance of the Hong Kong Branch.The late Jalil a capable BMF official was quickly ordered' to fly to the Hong Kong Branch.Whoever ordered Jalil to go to Hong Kong purportedly also masterminded Jalil to be murdered there.The seller of a large ship to Dr.Mahathir whose name was called George Tan of the Carrian Group of mainland China was made the 'scape-goat' and called the'murderer' of Jalil, as George Tan was asked to meet Jalil on that appointment.Jalil's body was brought back to Taman Tuanku Jaafar in Seremban.Then Dr Mahathir flew to Jalil's funeral house in Seremban in Negri Sembilan and pacified the distraught and wailing widow of Jalil.
    Musa Hitam was the Deputy Prime Minister then and Tengku Razaleigh was the Finance Minister and both had protested the purchasing of the ship and voiced through the mass-media that they had not approved Dr Mahathir's purchase of a ship so that started a rift between Mahathir and them.
    DrMahathir claim his dirty hands which is full of blood are clean.The way he made peace with the people he had harassed and manupulated maybe the late Karpal singh may tell you.But then Dr Mahathir only released Karpal Singh from prison after making Karpal into a toothless' lion.
    Many people throughout the country of Malaysia remembers 'The Bank Bumiputra Finance Scandal' when all fingers actually pointed towards a Dr Mahathir as the culprit.
    The Bible says 'Love thy neighbour'
    Yeshua/Jesus says that anyone who needs help is our neighbour.DSNajib is my neighbour.

    Posted 5 years ago by Luxshmi Sriyan NH De Silva · Reply