KUALA LUMPUR: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claims his successors have failed to maintain the unity of the Malays, which he asserts was strong under Umno during his first stint in power.
He claimed the decline in Malay unity began with his successor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose leadership saw Barisan Nasional's (BN) poor performance in the 12th general election.
"In 2008, when he (Abdullah) stood for election, he lost five states," he said in an FMT report.
Though BN achieved a historic landslide victory in the 2004 general election under Abdullah, securing 198 out of 219 parliamentary seats, the situation deteriorated by the 2008 general election.
BN lost its two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat, and the opposition took control of Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Perak, and Kelantan.
Dr Mahathir attributed the electoral setbacks to internal issues and allegations of favouritism during Abdullah's tenure.
"At first, people thought that he was a very good leader, and they gave him full support. But between 2004 and 2008, it was shown that he was not capable," he stated.
Abdullah resigned in 2009, succeeded by his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Dr Mahathir argued that Malay disunity further worsened under Najib due to his involvement in financial scandals, notably the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.
Najib was found guilty of abuse of power, money laundering, and criminal breach of trust involving RM42 million in funds from 1MDB subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd.
He is also on trial for charges related to RM2.28 billion, allegedly from 1MDB funds, deposited into his personal accounts during his tenure.
The 1MDB scandal fueled public outrage and significantly contributed to BN's loss in the 2018 general election, leading to Pakatan Harapan taking over Putrajaya, marking the first change of government in Malaysia's history.
Dr Mahathir also noted that the fragmentation of Malay political power had weakened their ability to secure a majority in general elections.
"At one time, the Malays were united in Umno. All Malays were in Umno, including the religious people, English-educated, Malay-educated – all were in Umno. But those who left Umno started forming different political parties. So the Malays are now split into four or five political parties," he explained.