Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has resigned as Pejuang chairperson.
Road safety activist Lando Zawawi, who was a Pejuang candidate in Tanjong Karang during the 15th general election, confirmed the matter.
“(It is) true. He told us on Wednesday,” he said.
When asked for the reason behind the 97-year-old veteran politician’s resignation, Lando told Malaysiakini he was not aware of the factors that led to the move.
“We did not ask that. We respect his decision,” he added.
This came after Pejuang fielded 67 candidates for Parliament seats in GE15 and lost all of its deposits
Among them were Mahathir and his son Mukhriz. Just four years ago, they were the prime minister and Kedah menteri besar, respectively.
The former premier suffered a crushing defeat in Langkawi where he finished fourth in a five-cornered fight.
Mukhriz suffered a similar fate, losing in Jerlun where he had been the MP since 2018, after Perikatan Nasional won the seat during the Nov 19 polling day with a 20,456-vote majority.
This is the second time Pejuang lost all its deposits since debuting during the Johor state election in March. At the time, they fielded 42 candidates.
GE15 also saw all 33 of Pejuang's state assembly candidates losing their deposits.
The party lost 100 deposits in total.
It is joined by its Gabungan Tanah Air (GTA) coalition partners - Berjasa, Putra and Iman - who saw all their parliamentary and state candidates lose their deposits as well.
On Mahathir’s resignation, representatives from the party said that Pejuang will be making an official statement on the matter soon.
Analysts have dismissed Pejuang’s presence in the political landscape as being irrelevant with the rise of PN which is now seen as the standard bearer for Malay-Muslim politics.
PN - which won 74 seats in total - showed its strength in the recent polls, indicating a decline in Malay support for Umno and BN. It also showed a shift in voters’ support towards PAS and Bersatu. - Mkini
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