MALAYS must unite and lead the country towards a future that is free of corruption, Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

The Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) chairman was speaking at the launch of Berjasa’s national assembly this morning.

While he acknowledged strength in Malay unity, as they make up 70% of the population, this means nothing when some of them are corrupt.

“They say that Malaysia needs to unite. We accept that being together gives us strength, but we cannot unite with those with no morals and principles, those who are selfish and corrupt. We cannot join them,” said Dr Mahathir, who is also Pejuang chairman.

“In the past we united to fight the British and we won. We united for independence and we got independence. But this unity has been tainted by leaders who are corrupt and out to enrich themselves.

“Today, we have to replace these people and this power. That is why we have Gerakan Tanah Air. Our movement is a movement of Malays who love the people, or race and religion.”

He said GTA will only choose to work with responsible parties, individuals and civil society groups who are responsible, not tainted by corruption and are not out for themselves.

“GTA has succeeded in uniting Malays who are clean, those who prioritise the Malays, the nation and country,” the former prime minister said.

“That’s why GTA is becoming stronger every day. When we face the next general election, Malays who are aware of our struggle will support GTA.

“I am confident because I have met with many Malay groups who are disappointed with what is happening in the country.”

The Langkawi MP said that GTA, a Malay-centric movement, will also work for the benefit of the non-Malays.

“We are willing to share our country with others but it has to be fair. Other races don’t have to be afraid of GTA despite the fact that it is limited to the Malays.

“Malays ruling also gives benefit to non-Malays.”

Dr Mahathir also asked members of GTA to explain to the public what the movement is all about.

“We have to explain to the people what GTA is. Many people still don’t know and they accuse us of forming another Malay party to split the votes.

“That is not true. We are uniting the Malay parties so that in the GE we won’t fight among ourselves.”

He said that the current state of the nation is also a big reason why many Malay-Muslims have opted to migrate.

“This fight is even more serious now because the Malays are different. We are Malays because we are Muslims. So the fight to unite the Malays is the same as Islam succeeding. Without Malays in this country, Islam will also collapse.

“I am sad to see many have moved overseas to non-Muslim countries and want to live there because they are no longer confident in our country recovering.

“When they live in these countries, it will affect their religious practices in some way. This is why we want good governance in Malaysia, so the Malays won’t leave as their own country is their heaven. This is our hope.” – August 27, 2022.