Party no longer holding on to original struggles, says ex-PM

PUTRAJAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic) said Umno’s original struggles have been replaced by a move to “support and protect Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak”.

Thus, he quit Umno as he could no longer relate to the party.

He would only rejoin if Najib was no longer at the helm and members returned to the original party struggles.

Dr Mahathir, the former prime minister and Umno president, said he made the decision to leave because he was ashamed of what was happening in the party.

But he stressed that he would not join another political party although he had received offers. Neither would he set up a new party, which could result in a split.

Reviving the old “Umno Baru” would only confuse the people, he added.

“My heart is still with Umno, but I’m very much ashamed of what is happening. I decided that I cannot be party to what is happening and so I must leave.

“I want to leave because this is no longer Umno but a party dedicated to supporting and protecting Najib and whatever he does,” he told reporters at his Perdana Leadership Foundation office yesterday.

This is the second time Dr Mahathir quit the party, which he led from 1981 to 2003 when he was party president and prime minister.

He first quit in May 2008 during the tenure of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He rejoined in 2009 after Najib was sworn in as Prime Minister.

Dr Mahathir fired salvos against Najib, saying that the party was no longer pursuing its vision when it was formed in 1946.

“The Umno we have today is a party dedicated to promoting and protecting Najib. All the policies are about how to ensure Najib remains prime minister,” he added.

He said his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali would also quit the party with him.