'Mahathir has betrayed Umno, the Malays and himself'

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's newly-formed alliance with the opposition to remove Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak from power is an act of betrayal by the former premier.

Umno supreme council member Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said Mahathir has betrayed the struggle of Umno, the Malays and even himself with this alliance.

"Mahathir was someone who always reminded us, especially Umno members, about the dangerous threat of DAP towards Malays and Malaysia.

"He also always cautioned us about PKR's idealogies which is rooted in (former opposition leader) Anwar Ibrahim's misguided struggle.

"Yet, today Mahathir has betrayed Umno's struggle, the Malay people's struggle and even his own just to see his own ambitions achieved," Abdul Aziz, who is deputy transport minister, said in a statement yesterday.

It is even sadder that two other Umno leaders are following in Mahathir's footsteps as they too want to achieve their personal ambitions, he said, referring to suspended party deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin and ousted former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir.

Yesterday's press conference where Mahathir, his allies and various opposition leaders jointly signed a declaration to work together towards the removal of Najib was a "black day" in the history of the country and specifically for Umno, Abdul Aziz added.

He reminded other Umno members not to simply follow their emotions without thinking about the long-term effects to the country's future.

"There is no other party which fights for Malays and Islam in this country other than Umno.

"Umno is the only party which can safeguard the bumiputera and Islam agenda," he said.

Disgusting act

Umno has achieved an impressive level of development within 70 years of its formation, he said, adding that this was done with the support of loyal Umno leaders and grassroots.

There are only four more years left before 2020, where Malaysia has aimed to become a developed country by then, he said.

"If we want to see this vision achieved under the Najib's leadership, then the country's leadership, Umno members and the rakyat have to stay loyal to the fight for the sake of our beloved country," he said.

Otherwise, he said, it would be very challenging for the country to achieve the developed nation status.

In a separate press statement today, Pertubuhan Minda dan Sosial Prihatin president Ramesh Rao said the alliance to pressure for Najib's removal was a "dirty and disgusting" act.

"If you want the prime minister to resign, you should wait till the general election. Then you can give explanations and speeches to the rakyat, convince them and then wait for the voters' choice.

"If you win, you can become prime minister and govern the country. What Mahathir has done is a dirty and shameful tactic," Rao said.

He also pointed out that during Mahathir's tenure as prime minister, it was a well-known fact that the rivalry between BN and DAP as well as PKR ran deep.

"But yesterday's event made it seem like all that history did not exist.

"This is proof that Mahathir is a good actor for the sake of his political games," Rao said.

Describing himself as a former strong supporter of DAP, Rao claimed that DAP will not deviate from its "original goals" of destroying Umno-BN as well as trying to get rid of anything related to the Malays and the monarchy. -Mkini