تون محضير ساسر ڬابوڠن بهارو اونتوق ڤراڠي رسواه د مليسيا
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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad hopes to create a coalition to fight corruption in the Southeast Asian country, which was rocked last week by the arrest of the man who succeeded him in 2020.
In an interview with Nikkei Asia in Tokyo, Mahathir confirmed that he recently joined Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia, a small party better known as Putra, as he looks to throw his weight behind the next generation after losing his parliamentary seat in last November’s election.
Now 97, Mahathir served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, and again from 2018 to 2020, when his government fell and ally-turned-rival Muhyiddin Yassin took the reins. Muhyiddin, whose premiership lasted about a year and a half, was arrested last week on graft allegations, which he denies.
Mahathir, known for being one of modern Asia’s most influential politicians, as well as for his often-controversial views, suggested he has no plans to run for office again himself. He will “not be contesting” in the next election but will be “very active in helping the party,” he said.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad hopes to create a coalition to fight corruption in the Southeast Asian country, which was rocked last week by the arrest of the man who succeeded him in 2020.
In an interview with Nikkei Asia in Tokyo, Mahathir confirmed that he recently joined Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia, a small party better known as Putra, as he looks to throw his weight behind the next generation after losing his parliamentary seat in last November’s election.
Joining the party is a way “to give myself a platform,” he explained. “We want to collect all the people who are against corruption to contest together as a group. So if we can get Putra to be joined by other political parties, NGOs and even individuals, we may be able to contest … not as Putra but as a group of people who are concerned about the situation in the country.”
Asked if the potential coalition would be fighting in the next general election, he replied, “Yes.”
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Now 97, Mahathir served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, and again from 2018 to 2020, when his government fell and ally-turned-rival Muhyiddin Yassin took the reins. Muhyiddin, whose premiership lasted about a year and a half, was arrested last week on graft allegations, which he denies.
Mahathir, known for being one of modern Asia’s most influential politicians, as well as for his often-controversial views, suggested he has no plans to run for office again himself. He will “not be contesting” in the next election but will be “very active in helping the party,” he said.
“I cannot play a positive role in politics in Malaysia because of my age. But I have gone through a very long period in the politics of Malaysia, more than 80 years. I have experienced a lot of changes in Malaysia. And I would be willing to help, to advise future governments of Malaysia on how best to develop the country,” he said.
Mahathir said the current government, led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim — who served as Mahathir’s deputy in the 1990s but was ousted from the cabinet — is not on very firm footing.
With Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan alliance lacking a majority in Parliament, he formed a unity government with other parties. “It is not a strong government … [and is] dependent upon the cooperation with other parties,” Mahathir observed. “If that cooperation is withdrawn, the government would fall.”
He said that the Anwar government is “concentrating on making sure that his opponents cannot become strong.”
During the 40-minute interview, Mahathir also talked about regional and global issues.
Regarding the slow progress in implementing ASEAN’s five-point consensus toward restoring peace in Myanmar, Mahathir said that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations could try to persuade the military that it can retain power without being oppressive: “They should accept that even in a democratic system, the military can be very powerful.”
On the debt pressures hitting Asia’s smaller economies, such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Mahathir said such countries have lacked good financial management.
“They don’t know how to manage the economy, how to grow the country. And because of that, they tend to borrow a lot of money,” said Mahathir, who navigated the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. The borrowed money is “used to pay for development, but at a very high price,” he continued. “They should learn to live with their own ability, not to borrow too much.”
As for the role of Global South nations — a term used to describe developing economies, in contrast to the richer North — Mahathir said they need to come together to grow and defend their interests.
“Because the North dominated the whole world, the South has little say in what happens in the international arena,” he said. “So it is important that the South have its say, a strong voice to counter the opinions of the countries of the North.”
Back home in Malaysia, however, the corruption issue remains front and center.
Muhyiddin’s arrest came months after another former prime minister, Najib Razak, lost his final appeal against a 12-year prison sentence connected to the massive 1Malaysia Development Berhad fraud scandal.
Mahathir said it would be “very difficult” for Malaysian politics to do away with corruption.
“During the time when Najib was prime minister, he promoted corruption,” Mahathir alleged. “He said cash is king. So everybody now expects to be given something for whatever service they provide. Whether it is an ordinary service or it is during election, people will vote according to bribes they would receive.”
He said Muhyiddin’s court process will take a long time and may stretch into the next election.
Meanwhile, Mahathir reiterated his plan to write a history of Malaysia, which he had floated after his election loss.
He confessed that he has not yet begun writing because he has been “very busy commenting on the present situation of the country.”
“But I intend to write the history to include all the events that took place in Malaysia” that are “not reported” in existing history books, he said.
“We need to have young people know the history of the country so that they will appreciate the struggle for independence and how we managed to develop the country,” he said. “When they know that, I think they will continue the process and the country will become better developed.”
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