Dr M: I'm not backing Muhyiddin anymore

KUALA LUMPUR: Ahead of the looming 15th General Election, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has rejected Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's proposal of cooperation.

Dr Mahathir said Muhyiddin, the Pagoh MP, had proposed this during a recent meeting.

"Muhyiddin saw me, he wanted me to support him for his attempt to be prime minister once again," Dr Mahathir told a press conference at Yayasan Albukhary here on Friday (April 1).

"He (Muhyiddin) knows that Pejuang lost in the election, we are not strong and we don't have money. But he asked (me) to support him," he added.

Dr Mahathir said among the reasons he snubbed Muhyiddin's proposal was because he was betrayed during his tenure as prime minister for 22 months during Pakatan Harapan's term.

"He (Muhyiddin) stabbed me in the back so I could (no longer) be prime minister," Dr Mahathir said, referring to the events of the February 2020 "Sheraton Move" that saw the collapse of the Pakatan government after several PKR MPs and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) left.

Dr Mahathir also said Pejuang would not support Muhyiddin whose leadership was as bad as that of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"We are not going to support someone who was as much as a failure (as prime minister) as Najib was," he said.

According to him, Muhyiddin's 17-month tenure as prime minister was not well received by many people.

"He was not a good prime minister and that is why people aren't going to support him again.

"If he achieved some great things for Malaysia, I'm confident that... with my help, he can win (GE15)," Dr Mahathir said.

The events of the "Sheraton Move" in Feb 2020 saw 11 PKR MPs and Bersatu leaving Pakatan.

Dr Mahathir and several former Bersatu MPs did not join the Perikatan Nasional government and they went on to set up Pejuang.

Other former Bersatu leaders such as Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman went on to form the youth-based Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda), while Simpang Renggam MP Dr Maszlee Malik went to join PKR.

On Thursday (March 31), Pejuang president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir said Muhyiddin had met two weeks ago after the Johor state election concluded on March 12.

Mukhriz said Pejuang also received invitation from the Opposition to cooperate in the 15th General Election, but no decision has been made yet.