Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has openly acknowledged his role as the "mastermind" behind the removal of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as Malaysia's Prime Minister, revealing that this move was critical to prevent UMNO from facing disbandment.
In a candid revelation during the Cameron Highlands UMNO division meeting, Zahid, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, explained his strategic actions to safeguard UMNO from potential deregistration. “I must state and admit that I was the principal strategist behind Tun Dr. Mahathir’s removal. The situation demanded decisive action to protect UMNO from being banned, maligned, and accused of corruption,” Zahid stated, as reported by Berita Harian.
Zahid disclosed that he was informed by current Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim about then-Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's readiness to act against Mahathir. “In such a scenario, the leadership relied on me to determine the best course of action to prevent UMNO’s dissolution. I had to devise a plan to navigate through the crisis,” Zahid said.
Reflecting on past events, Zahid recounted his statements during the 2018 UMNO General Assembly, where he had predicted that UMNO would soon be part of the government, despite facing ridicule from critics who are no longer with the party. “During the assembly, I mentioned that UMNO would return to power soon. I was mocked by some individuals who are no longer affiliated with UMNO,” he added.
Looking ahead, Zahid has promised to disclose more details about his role and the circumstances surrounding Mahathir’s removal in his forthcoming memoir. “What I have shared today is only 10 percent of the story. The remaining 90 percent will be revealed in my book. While many write memoirs upon retirement, I am not retiring yet. As long as UMNO is not a dominant party, my colleagues and I will continue our work within UMNO,” he said.
Zahid’s confession comes in the wake of Dr. Mahathir’s resignation in February 2020, which occurred just 18 months after the Pakatan Harapan coalition, led by Mahathir, achieved a historic victory in the general elections. Mahathir resigned after it became apparent that he no longer commanded a majority in the Dewan Rakyat. Subsequently, Muhyiddin’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia formed a new government, which included UMNO and PAS in the Perikatan Nasional coalition.
Against the claims by Zahid, Mahathir posted on facebook in response with following statements:
"Zahid Hamidi said that he is the one who brought me down to save UMNO.
Actually, UMNO lost in the 14th General Election. Losing doesn’t mean being erased. Losing means not being able to form the government.
When Zahid came to see me, he had just become UMNO President. He wanted to know what would happen to UMNO after the defeat.
To me, UMNO no longer adheres to the founding principles of UMNO, which are to fight for the race, country, and religion. The party using the UMNO name now fights for money (Cash is King).
Because the struggle is no longer aligned with the original struggle of UMNO, the right to be recognized as the UMNO party has been lost. Therefore, it would be better for the UMNO name to be discarded by dissolving the party using the UMNO name.
Zahid disagreed and did not dissolve his party using the UMNO name.
I cannot be brought down by Zahid or his UMNO. A party that loses does not have the right to bring down a winning party. After meeting Zahid for the second time, he tried to explain that he was not guilty of the corruption charges publicly disseminated.
I explained that I do not have the power to exonerate him. The evidence he tried to show me should have been presented to the court judge.
The reason I resigned was because subsequently, my party, Bersatu, rejected my advice. Usually, when a leader is no longer trusted by their followers, they should, honorably, resign. And that’s what I did.
Zahid does not need to boast as a hero who brought me down and saved UMNO.
Zahid is not a hero. 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."
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.