FORMER prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced the formation of a new Malay party to take on the current Perikatan Nasional government.

The name of the party has not been decided yet and they will wait for the approval of the Registrar of Societies, he said at a press conference at the Al Bukhary Foundation today.

The 95-year old said this new party was necessary as all other Malay parties have deviated from the original struggle.

“We are forming a new party. This party will uphold the values of Bersatu when it was formed. We will fight corruption relentlessly,” Dr Mahathir said.

Alongside Dr Mahathir, the others who were at the press conference were former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir, former education minister Maszlee Malik, former deputy finance minister Amiruddin Hamzah and former deputy foreign minister Marzuki Yahya.

Dr Mahathir also said this party would be neutral and would neither side PN or Pakatan Harapan.

The Langkawi MP added the group ran into problems with PH.

“We found some obstruction. We wanted to work with PH but we have some problems with the biggest party in PH,” Dr Mahathir said, alluding to PKR.

Dr Mahathir will be party chairman and his son Mukhriz is expected to be president. 

The Malay-based party will fight for the rights of the non-Malays too, Dr Mahathir said.

“This party will be inclusive and moderate and will show the other races the Malays are not treacherous, honest and will not forgo a cooperation that is honest and with principles.”

The formation of the new party follows a high court decision this morning allowing an application by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin to strike out a suit by Dr Mahathir and four other Bersatu MPs over their sacking from the party.

Judge Rohani Ismail dismissed the suit by Dr Mahathir against Muhyiddin and three defendants – Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainuddin, organising secretary Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya, and RoS director-general Masyati Abang Ibrahim.

Rohani said the plaintiffs did not have locus standi to bring the suit as their termination from the party was confirmed in a Bersatu supreme council meeting on June 4.

Dr Mahathir resigned as chairman on February 24, the same day he stepped down as prime minister, but his resignation as chairman became disputed within Bersatu as rival factions battled for legitimacy.

He was unopposed in nominations for the chairman’s post in party elections, which have been postponed to after June due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bersatu was founded on September 6, 2016 by Dr Mahathir, Muhyiddin, Mukhriz and Syed Saddiq to take on the Umno-led Barisan Nasional government in the 2018 general election. It then joined PH, which went on to win the polls and wrest Putrajaya.

On February 24, Muhyiddin announced Bersatu’s departure from PH, causing the government’s collapse, and partnered with Umno, PAS and Gabungan Parti Sarawak to form the PN administration. – August 7, 2020.