Pejuang can lead fight against corruption, says Dr M

 

Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Umno also couldn’t form a government on its own and had to work with non-Malay parties.

PETALING JAYA: Pejuang chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad has positioned his party as a potential leader in a coalition of multiracial parties which subscribe to anti-corruption principles.

The former prime minister, who led Pakatan Harapan (PH) to power in 2018, said that Pejuang would be banking on voters’ dislike of corruption at the next general election (GE15).

He said PH had won the 2018 general election thanks to voters who supported the opposition’s fight against corruption.

Pejuang may not win enough seats to form the next government after GE15, he said, and there would be a need to form some kind of coalition with partners who are not involved with corruption.

“Remember, Umno by itself could not form a government,” said Mahathir.

“Although Umno is also a Malay party, it accepted the need to work with non-Malay parties. Pejuang, too, would be a leader in a coalition with multiracial parties which subscribe to its anti-corruption principles and is aware that disparities between people and states need to be corrected in a fair and equitable way.”

He predicted that there would be more voters who were against corruption at the ballot boxes during GE15 because of their “disgust” with the two governments which seized power from PH through non-democratic means.

Pejuang, which Mahathir founded in August 2020, has championed itself as a party at the forefront of the fight against corruption.

However, it failed to make an impact at the only elections it has contested so far. All 42 Pejuang candidates in the Johor elections in March lost their deposits, after failing to obtain at least one-eighth (12.5%) of the votes cast. - FMT