In a recent Facebook post, former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad sharply criticized Zahid Hamidi, the current UMNO President, accusing him of exploiting the party’s name for personal gain rather than adhering to its founding principles. Mahathir’s comments come amidst ongoing political tension and scrutiny surrounding Zahid’s leadership and legal challenges.
Dr. Mahathir, who has been a prominent figure in Malaysian politics for decades, contends that Zahid’s claim of being the savior of UMNO is unsubstantiated. “Zahid Hamidi said that he is the one who brought me down to save UMNO,” Mahathir writes, expressing his discontent with Zahid's actions and leadership. According to Mahathir, UMNO's defeat in the 14th General Election (GE14) was not a terminal blow but rather a setback that simply meant the party could not form the government.
Mahathir elaborates that Zahid’s tenure as UMNO President has not adhered to the party's original principles, which were centered around fighting for race, country, and religion. Instead, Mahathir accuses the current UMNO leadership of prioritizing financial gains, coining the term “Cash is King” to describe the party’s alleged shift in focus. This, Mahathir argues, has led to the erosion of UMNO's foundational values and legitimacy.
In his post, Mahathir reveals that when Zahid first approached him after becoming UMNO President, he sought insight into the future of UMNO following its electoral defeat. Mahathir’s response was blunt: the party’s deviation from its original mission meant it had lost its right to be recognized as the genuine UMNO. Consequently, he suggested that dissolving the party was a more appropriate course of action to distance itself from the tarnished UMNO name.
Zahid, however, did not agree with Mahathir’s assessment and chose not to dissolve the party. Mahathir criticizes Zahid’s reluctance to honorably disband the party and accuses him of self-serving motives. “I cannot be brought down by Zahid or his UMNO,” Mahathir asserts, emphasizing that a losing party should not have the authority to undermine a winning one.
The former Prime Minister also touches on Zahid’s ongoing legal troubles, specifically corruption charges that Zahid has been publicly criticized for. Mahathir notes that Zahid attempted to exonerate himself by showing evidence to him personally, but Mahathir insists that such matters should be resolved in court. “The evidence he tried to show me should have been presented to the court judge,” he states.
Mahathir further explains his resignation from the Bersatu party, citing a lack of support from party members as the primary reason. He argues that when a leader loses the trust of their followers, resignation is a dignified and appropriate response. This reflects his broader perspective on political accountability and integrity.
In a final critique, Mahathir dismisses Zahid’s portrayal as a political hero. He characterizes Zahid not as a hero but as someone navigating legal challenges and political alliances, including a controversial collaboration with UMNO’s rival, the Democratic Action Party (DAP). “He is merely someone facing charges in court and willing to collaborate with UMNO’s staunch enemy, DAP, to become Deputy Prime Minister in order to save himself from being tried for his wrongdoings,” Mahathir concludes.
Dr. Mahathir’s comments offer a scathing analysis of Zahid Hamidi’s leadership and the current state of UMNO, reflecting deep-seated frustrations with the direction of Malaysian politics.
Kamran is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.