Former Bersatu president Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that his new party would be named Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Fighters of the Nation Party), or Pejuang for short.
Its mission is to cleanse the country of corruption and money politics.
“I am not interested in new parties. It is not to further fragment the Malays but to give Malays a place so they could choose a party that fights for them the people and not ‘what will I get’.
“Bersatu has been hijacked and we have been expelled. Even I as chairperson was expelled. We went to court, and the court said what Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin did was right, so we have to form a new party.
“Thus, I declare that this party is named Parti Pejuang Tanah Air,” he said in his speech at Slim River, where he also announced the party’s candidate for the Slim by-election.
On Aug 7, Mahathir announced his intention to set up a new party that would represent the interests of Malays and bumiputras, like Bersatu that he had founded before.
This came after his legal bid to challenge Bersatu’s move to terminate his membership was struck out by the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
Addressing a crowd of over 500 people, the former prime minister said the government of the day no longer fights for the country, but for “what will I get”.
“Bersatu shifted its allegiance to Muhyiddin not to save the Malays from being crushed by DAP, but for the sake of positions, vast incomes, high salaries. That is the government we have now.
“I asked a minister, ‘Why don’t you come back to our party?’. The answer: ‘I’m a minister. I’m finished if I go back to the party (because) I can’t get money’.
“So what is the struggle is about? Money. That’s why I said we might as well set a party dubbed ‘What Will I Get Party’. Everyone in this government will get something,” he said.
Mahathir and Muhyiddin founded Bersatu in 2016 after leaving Umno and were joined by PKR, DAP, and Amanah to form the Pakatan Harapan coalition that won the 14th general election in 2018.
After 22 months in power, however, many in Bersatu led by Muhyiddin left the Harapan coalition and formed a new government together with BN, PAS, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, and Gabungan Bersatu Sabah. - Mkini
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