THOSE who lost the 14th general election are stoking Malay sentiment by accusing the Pakatan Harapan government of doing the bidding of non-Muslims and selling out Islam and Malay interest, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

These people, he said, banded together in the name of Islam and Malay solidarity and were looking to stir trouble for Putrajaya.

Dr Mahathir said the government not only had to deal with the rising cost of living, but the challenge posed by this group.

“It’s something we are dealing with, and we will handle it.

“But what is more pressing is the existence of this movement, which is surely headed by those who had lost the election and are afraid of the laws used on them,” he said in his New Malaysia first anniversary message at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre.

Today marks PH’s first year in power since it removed Barisan Nasional from Putrajaya in the May 9 general election last year.

Dr Mahathir, who is PH chairman, said in the past few months, the government was made to look like one that did not care about Islam or Malays.

“We were made to look like we obey the wishes of non-Malays and non-Muslims, to the point that we sold the interests of Malays and Muslims.

“That’s not all. They accuse us of trying to do away with the monarchy.

“So, based on this, they banded together to defend the Malay rulers, the position of the Malays and Islam,” he said referring to Umno.

He said it had combined with PAS in the name of Islam and the Malay community after denigrating the Islamist party for decades.

“Where was PAS when Umno leaders were stealing and looting national assets through 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Bhd), Tabung Haji, Felda and the other institutions like KWAP (Retirement Fund Incorporated) and EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund)?”

Dr Mahathir said the struggle of this movement was only to protect those who had robbed the country.

He said they wanted to see the PH government fall so the cases against them would be dropped and they would not have to answer for their sins and the destruction they had caused.

“My advice (to them) is enough with using race and religion for political expediency,” he said. – May 9, 2019.