KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — Pejuang chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said his motive to cooperate with federal Opposition parties to oppose Umno now were no different than when he had done so prior to the 14th general election.
After his open offer failed to gain interest from Pakatan Harapan, the former prime minister said today that it was vital to set aside personal feelings and interests in order to bring down the enemies of the country, noting that this had led to Barisan Nasional’s defeat in 2018.
Dr Mahathir added it also did not matter whether he preferred to work with the Opposition party leaders today, so long as there was a common interest of protecting the country.
“However, I’m unsure if these Opposition leaders have changed their minds about Umno, whether they still consider Umno a threat to the country or otherwise.
“Or maybe some among these leaders are ready to work together with Umno after the general election. That is up to them,” he said in a video today.
Earlier in October, Dr Mahathir insisted he would have no issue cooperating with PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to oppose Umno, and suggested that it was the latter who was unreceptive.
After Dr Mahathir said he would be willing to make the first move to reconcile, Anwar said any such cooperation must be based on shared values and principle rather than purely to oppose Umno.
In 2018, Dr Mahathir led PH to an unexpected victory over Barisan Nasional (BN) in the 14th general election and became the only person to ever be the prime minister of Malaysia twice.
Dr Mahathir had been meant to yield his position to Anwar, but never did so on the grounds that there was no formal agreement setting a deadline for him to do so.
Instead, he suddenly resigned as the prime minister early in 2020, leading to the collapse of the PH administration and plunging the country into political instability.
