DR MAHATHIR Mohamad was returned unopposed as Bersatu chairman with no challengers filing in their papers during nominations today. 

This was confirmed by party elections chairman Syed Hamid Albar in a press conference at the Bersatu headquarters in Petaling Jaya. 

Earlier, Dr Mahathir said he was offering himself as a candidate for the Bersatu chairman’s post to save the party from those who want to work with the corrupt Umno.

“I offer myself to contest the chairman’s post to save Bersatu, as some of the party’s leaders are working with kleptocrats and Umno to form a back-door government. 

“Join our struggle to return our party to the right path,” he said on his social media today. 

He also said he is the founder as well as the first member of the party. 

Dr Mahathir is also the party’s founding chairman but his position is unclear after the party controlled by president Muhyiddin Yassin said they have accepted his resignation. 

Muhyiddin had also said that he was the acting chairman of Bersatu pending the election of a new chairman. 

Dr Mahathir had resigned as Bersatu chairman on February 24, the same day he also stepped down as the prime minister.

However the party’s supreme council rejected his resignation as the chairman only for it to change its mind days later after Dr Mahathir failed to support Muhyiddin’s candidacy to become prime minister. 

Muhyiddin, with support from Umno and PAS, went on to become prime minister and formed the ruling government. 

Dr Mahathir, meanwhile continued to question Muhyiddin’s decision to work with corrupt Umno leaders. 

A handful of Bersatu leaders such as Bersatu Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir and party secretary-general Marzuki Yahya are in Dr Mahathir’s camp. – March 16, 2020.