KUALA LUMPUR: Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad asked him to dissolve the party and join Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
He claimed that his refusal to do so resulted in his selective prosecution during the Pakatan Harapan (PH) era.
He said Dr Mahathir asked him to tell Umno members to join Bersatu as well.
"I refused and told Dr Mahathir that my grave would be flooded the very next day if I disbanded Umno to join Bersatu.
"I rejected it because I will never betray Umno just for the sake of a position.
"In fact, Umno is the core of the Malays' hope and struggle and is the backbone of Malaysians," he said in a social media post today.
Zahid, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, acknowledged that Umno was not perfect, but said it was the best among Malay-Muslim-based parties and had the genuine spirit of Malaysia.
He said although there were a few in Umno who did not agree with the party's stance, the party's attitude, however, was still prudent and optimistic.
"The fact is, I still fight to defend Umno after being given the trust by party grassroots nationwide to carry out my duties as president," he said.
Commenting on the court's decision to acquit him of 40 corruption charges, Zahid said he was grateful.
"All this time, I have been labelled with various negative perceptions to disparage, belittle, reject Umno. Also seeking to reject me as Umno president and BN chairman because they know, without me, Umno is easier to be pushed around.
"For example, some people used the label of court cluster on me, but do not use that label on opposition leaders. This double standard reflects the true face of political enemies.
"My experience from being fixed by political enemies has made me more mature, self-reflective, learning to recognise external enemies and enemies within. I can forgive, but I will not forget it as part and parcel in being a politician."
Zahid said as the party president he needed to be firm and not swayed by political threats.
"If you are afraid of being tossed by the waves, don't live by the beach. Therefore, I am not afraid to defend Umno, even when faced with various political threats.
"I remain steadfast even though many Umno leaders themselves stayed away from Umno because they believed Dr Mahathir's propaganda that Umno had no future.
"I did not enter politics through a window, rather my political career came by climbing the political ladder from the bottom. Therefore, I understand the voice of Umno grassroots," he said.
Recalling events after BN's defeat in the 14th General Election (GE14), the Bagan Datuk member of parliament said Umno was at its lowest ebb and was weak.
This was because of many elected representatives from the party defected without thinking about Umno's defeat brought about by political perception.
"When Umno was defeated, diminished and shunned by political opportunists and made victims of opposition politics, I reminded Umno members in the 2018 Umno General Assembly that we will rise and will become the government again.
"However many viewed the statement with cynicism. Now the prime minister is from Umno. In the next phase, God willing, prayers and the continuous struggle, Umno will return to dominance by forming the government after the 15th General Election (GE15)," he said.
Zahid said he was also not afraid of attempts to undermine the party's unity.
"They know that when Parliament is dissolved, their worst nightmare would arrive, with those who had defected being punished by their own voters.
"Many are also afraid of losing and being rejected by the people because of their poor performance in the constituency," he said.