Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad needs to "reflect on himself first" before claiming that Malay support for Umno is declining due to its collaboration with DAP, said a DAP lawmaker.
Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan also suggested that Mahathir consider the same question regarding the Pejuang party he once led.
"Instead of commenting on the (declining) support of the Malays for Umno, it is better for Mahathir to reflect on why his own party did not get the support of the Malays during GE15," he said when contacted by Malaysiakini.
Syahredzan (above) conceded that many factors contributed to the heavy defeat of the BN candidate to PAS in the recent Kemaman by-election, saying that it now was indeed a PAS stronghold.
According to him, Umno still has strong support from Malay voters, especially in southern states such as Negeri Sembilan and Johor.
"Unity government candidates can still win in places where they are strong, such as in Pulai, Simpang Jeram and Pelangai.
"Although the unity government should do a 'post-mortem' on the defeat in Kemaman, we must also be fair in analysing and commenting," he said.
Yesterday, Mahathir claimed that Umno, once considered a 'sacred party' of the Malays, will be wiped out in GE16, stating that this is a 'message from Kemaman'.
Syahredzan said that linking DAP to all the bad things that happen to Pakatan Harapan is a 'trend' often used by Perikatan Nasional and Mahathir.
"However, I don't want to 'second guess' Mahathir's intentions, but this is indeed a recent 'trend' of PN and Mahathir," he said.
In last year's GE15, Pejuang recorded a poor performance when a total of 67 candidates lost their deposits including Mahathir and his son, Mukhriz.
After the debacle, Mahathir resigned as Pejuang chairperson on Dec 16, 2022, before leaving the party with several other members in February 2023. - Mkini
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