Dr M says he will remain as Pejuang chairman

KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic) says he will remain as Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) chairman despite not defending his Langkawi seat in the coming general election.

Dr Mahathir, 96, said questions about him retiring as chairman is up to the Pejuang leadership.

The nonagenarian was asked to comment on DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang's decision to retire from active politics.

"That's his (Lim) decision, I'm not leaving Pejuang and I might not contest. But I can't make this decision as I have to abide by the decision of my party, not just myself," he added.

On March 20, Lim announced that he will not be defending his Iskandar Puteri parliamentary seat.

During the DAP congress last weekend, Lim was also named as the party's mentor shortly after announcing his retirement.

On March 9, Dr Mahathir had also said that he will not defend his Langkawi parliamentary seat due to bad health.

At the same time, Dr Mahathir said money politics was one of the reasons why Pejuang fared badly in the recent Johor state elections, where all of its 42 candidates lost deposits.

"We asked them to please vote for Pejuang, but their answer was how much are you going to give me? This isn't just one or two people, but many.

"A certain party has been giving voters. But, we (Pejuang) don't have money to give," added Dr Mahathir.

At the same time, Dr Mahathir also said NGO Yayasan Anti-Rasuah has formally joined Pejuang to combat corruption ahead of the 15th General Election.

"This NGO is important so I fully support them, as we need to cooperate to educate society," added Dr Mahathir.