Dr Mahathir on why he quit as PM

Alfian Z.M. Tahir Alfian Z.M. Tahir Updated 3 years ago · Published on 11 May 2020 11:20AM · 12 Comments

Dr Mahathir Mohamad says many still don’t understand his decision to resign as prime minister in late February, triggering the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government. – EPA pic, May 11, 2020.

DR Mahathir Mohamad quit as Bersatu chairman and prime minister in February as his party defied his instruction not to leave Pakatan Harapan.

“It showed that my party had gone against me and had lost confidence in me, that is why I resigned,” he said in a video posted on his official YouTube channel and on Facebook today.

He said he was explaining the decision to resign as “many people still do not understand” why he did so.

“With the stand that was taken by Bersatu (to quit PH), I could not stay on (as chairman). The proposal to leave PH had no good basis. I was supported (as prime minister) by every party in the coalition.

“The PH leadership at a meeting also agreed to let me decide when I would step down as the PM.”

The nonagenarian leader said Bersatu’s plan to quit PH was engineered by Muhyiddin Yassin, who is now prime minister.

Muhyiddin said Bersatu must leave PH to save the Malays from its coalition partner DAP, a multiracial party helmed by mainly Chinese leaders.

“I told Muhyiddin that I had support from PH to be prime minister and that there was no reason for me to quit PH with Bersatu.

“But he (Muhyiddin) said we need to immediately leave PH, if we not the Malays will be doomed. DAP will crush the Malays.

“I don’t think that it will be that easy for DAP to crush the Malays. I said, let us wait. Think carefully,” Dr Mahathir said in the video.

In late February, after a week of political turmoil, defections and power struggle, the PH government collapsed. 

Dr Mahathir resigned as Bersatu chairman and prime minister after the weekend known as the “Sheraton move”, where Muhyiddin’s faction plotted with former PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, Umno and PAS to form a new coalition.

Muhyiddin was sworn in as the eighth prime minister on March 1 after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong determined that the former Umno politician had the support from the majority of MPs by meeting the heads of political parties.

Some have blamed Dr Mahathir since then for resigning as prime minister, which is seen as one of the triggers that set off the crisis.

In the video today, he also explained his decision to return as Bersatu’s chairman.

“Many came from Bersatu to ask me to return (as chairman) and the party did not approve my resignation.

“I became the chairman of Bersatu but not the chairman of PH because we already left PH and PH government collapsed because of our actions.”

Dr Mahathir remains in Bersatu, which is now split between his supporters and those in favour of remaining with Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional government.

Dr Mahathir said he will sit with the opposition when Parliament meets on May 18 and has also filed a no-confidence motion against Muhyiddin, which the Dewan Rakyat speaker has accepted. – May 11, 2020.

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Comments

  • Your credibility is zilch.
    So it's too bad even if it's the truth you're saying now

    Posted 3 years ago by Watch Dog · Reply

  • UTUN trying to play sympathy card again. You know what you have done and attempting to do but failed because this is the year 2020 with smart phones and social media not 2000 with no smart phones and social media where people have to sit up and wait for rtm news.. Game has moved on and evolved with every passing day week month and year but you haven't.. Still stuck in your old mind set thinking you are indispensable but you not.. Nobody is.

    Posted 3 years ago by Ray Ch · Reply

  • Sorry lost respect for u sir

    Posted 3 years ago by Shamrat Sengupta · Reply

  • Bersatu had only 13 seats in 2018 but PH coalition supported you. They honoured their promise to make you PM. So even if you had 5 seats remaining during the Sheraton move PH would have still supported you. You should have referred to the PH presidential council before resigning. That would have been honourable.
    We will wait for the next GE and hopefully there is another light at the end of the tunnel.

    Posted 3 years ago by G.Selva Ganeson · Reply

  • Tun and UMNo are very paranoid about Chinese dominating the country despite the Armed Forces and Police are 95% dominated by the Malays. The Chinese throughout the world control the economy. Not only Malaysian Chinese. The Chinese are contributing to the economy as well.
    Tun had made many contradictory
    statements. It's a manifestation of aging. The country doesn't need a 95 year old to lead the country

    Posted 3 years ago by Aplanaidu Pathanaidu · Reply

  • We were betrayed by the Malay first Moo who only places his self interest above all.

    Posted 3 years ago by Chee yee ng · Reply

  • DAP was performing well and better than many others and this was construed as "trying to crush the Malays".?? Hahaha much like Trump blaming Huawei's 5G.

    Posted 3 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • We are very Happy with GOD's GRACE mahathir has been REMOVED AS PM OF MSIA. His Intentions were Bad so the DIVINE ENERGY HELPED All Non Malays from further being Bullied by mahathir. Mahathir Resign MALAYSIA WILL HAIL. Non Malays can brethe air n space . We Hate the Racism PM.

    Posted 3 years ago by Lucky Boy · Reply

  • 'DAP will crush the Malays', how? The totally can't answer this question. They feel unsecured, why? Simply bcos the DAP ministers and deputies have outperform all other ministers. So the inferior ministers will unite to save their jobs even though proven incompetent. The country is doomed bcos the incompetent Malays are helming the govt. The B40 Malays are still B40 after 60years governed by UMNO!!! Why must B40 Malays still support Umno who retard their growth by giving them easy small money to servive but continue dependent on the selfish and greedy leaders to rob the country bigger and bigger ever?

    Posted 3 years ago by James Wong · Reply

  • No matter how u assess the case, Bersatu wants the premiership and control the rests. And Bersatu is a wholly Malay political party. Why should a three strong multi racial parties bow down to a small Malay based party? Start all over again to build only multi racial based political parties in PH. NO MIRE RACE OR EELUGIIN BASED political parties in PH. Full stop.

    Posted 3 years ago by James Wong · Reply

  • NO MORR RACE AND RELIGION BASED political parties in PH. STRICTLY.

    Posted 3 years ago by James Wong · Reply

  • Malays got no dignity so they organise Malay Dignity Congress to show that they hv dignity. If malays got dignity why B40 grp of all races been left to Beg for 61 years from the malay muslim orientated govt.

    Posted 3 years ago by Lucky Boy · Reply