Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes that Umno’s downfall began after his departure from leadership in 2003, marking the start of a prolonged period of political division among Malays that continues to shape Malaysia’s political landscape.
In an interview with FMT, Mahathir reflected on Umno’s past dominance, saying that during his tenure as prime minister and party president, the party represented nearly the entire Malay population, giving it a powerful and united base. According to him, that unity once guaranteed electoral victories and ensured smooth leadership transitions without internal disputes over succession.
He contrasted that period with the post-2003 era, describing how internal rifts began to fracture the party’s cohesion. Mahathir said that after his retirement, many former Umno members dispersed into newly formed or rival political parties, creating persistent instability over who should lead the country.
“After I stepped down, the situation changed,” Mahathir said, noting that competition for the prime minister’s post became a central struggle among Malay politicians. He argued that in his time, succession was clear — the deputy prime minister naturally took over when the leader retired. However, today, he said, every politician sees themselves as a potential prime minister, leading to fragmented loyalties and weakened collective power.
He observed that the fragmentation forced political leaders to form alliances across multiple Malay-based parties just to maintain influence. This, he said, created a complex environment where the need to satisfy many competing factions often overshadowed national priorities.
Mahathir also pointed out that this disunity has diluted Malay political influence, as support is now divided among several parties including Umno, Bersatu, PAS, PKR, Amanah and other smaller movements. He expressed concern that the continuing division could further erode Malay representation and bargaining power within Malaysia’s broader multiracial political system.
To counter this trend, Mahathir recently launched a “Malay secretariat committee,” aimed at uniting Malay interests under what he described as a “big umbrella.” He clarified that the initiative is not a formal political party but a platform to align Malay voices on issues of national importance.
The former Umno president — who later founded Bersatu, Pejuang, and led the Gerakan Tanah Air coalition — said the goal is to encourage cooperation without reviving partisan rivalry. Mahathir’s remarks add to the ongoing national debate on whether Malay unity can be restored or if Malaysia’s future lies in a more pluralistic and competitive political structure.
Kamran (kfiverr21@gmail.com) 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 creator@newswav.com.