KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s act in forming an opposition party will only affect his stature as an elder statesman and wipe out his contributions from Malaysian history, MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said today.

Dr Subramaniam described the former prime minister’s latest decision as disappointing given that Dr Mahathir was known as an excellent leader during his 22-year long administration and as Umno president.

"Hence, I feel that this would affect his stature and position in the eyes of the public.

"He should have become an adviser for the nation from within and without the political arena, which is in line with his previous contributions as the top leader in the country,” Dr Subramaniam said in a statement.

"However, he has gone against the party he had been a member of for so long, causing chaos in the country’s political system. I am sad with his actions and I believe his previous achievements and contributions will be erased from the country’s history,” he added.

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir confirmed that he will be a founding member of a new political party that will ally with Pakatan Harapan to ensure straight fights against the Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling coalition in the coming general elections.