KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad finally admitted today that he had asked Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to dissolve Umno, declaring that the party he once led no longer fights for the Malay community but instead exists only to serve its leaders.
“Yes, I asked Zahid to dissolve Umno. Umno was defeated in the 14th general election and many of its lawmakers had defected. Some had joined Bersatu,” Dr Mahathir said in a TikTok video.
“Umno lost because it no longer fights for the country, the [Malay] race and religion. Umno was only fighting for Najib,” he added.
Former prime minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak is currently serving time over corruption and criminal charges involving money embezzled from a 1MDB subsidiary.
Najib’s successor as Umno president Zahid had told the High Court in June this year that Dr Mahathir had urged him to dissolve Umno, which he suggested was a threat.
Zahid had used the testimony in his corruption trial to back his allegation that he is a victim of selective prosecution.
Dr Mahathir went on to say that Umno supporters were loyal to Najib only because of money, not out of principle.
The assertion was likely a reference to his claim that Najib had once declared “cash is king”. The former Umno president was reported to have spent billions of ringgit to win support from the party’s powerful chieftains.
“Umno is no longer Umno. That is why Umno should just be disbanded,” Dr Mahathir said in the clip.
Najib announced his resignation as Umno president and Barisan Nasional chairman shortly after the May 9, 2018 election. Zahid, who was Umno vice-president but handled the duties of the deputy president, took over duties for both positions.
He was later put on trial for two separate corruption cases. Zahid faced 47 charges, namely 12 counts of criminal breach of trust in relation to charitable foundation Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds, 27 counts of money laundering, and eight counts of bribery charges. He has been told to enter his defence.
He was fully acquitted of the second case involving allegations that he took bribes for a foreign visa processing contract.
