KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 23): Senior statesman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who founded and chairs the Malay-based Parti Pejuang Tanahair, said whatever plans the fledgling party had for the country have been dropped.

The nonagenarian said this after the party was defeated in all 125 seats it contested during the 15th general election (GE15) held on Nov 19.

"I am sad but I accept the people's choice. We pray that any party that forms the government would still be able to resolve all the problems faced by the country at the moment," the 97-year-old said in a statement four days after the polls.

The two-time prime minister himself failed to defend his Langkawi parliamentary seat in a five-cornered fight, and lost his deposit having polled only 4,566 votes.

The seat was won by Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah from Perikatan Nasional (PN), bagging 25,463 votes for a comfortable majority of 13,518 votes.

Owing to Pejuang's widespread loss, the party even lost the opportunity to be an opposition in the Parliament, he said in a statement.

Universiti Sains Malaysia political science professor Dr Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid opined that Mahathir's loss of deposit in Langkawi, an island he developed since his first stint as PM, signalled an end of an era for the "grand old man" of Malaysian politics.

"He should've known earlier that with the higher-than-ever composition of younger voters, the thought of voting in a 97-year-old MP (member of Parliament), however prominent one would seem to be, wouldn't be appealing to the electorate," he said.

Speaking to The Edge, Ahmad Fauzi added that Mahathir's race-based discourse projected through his Pejuang coalition had "failed to resonate" even among conservative Malay-Muslims.

They would rather go for a "more religiously inclined" version of nation-building promoted by PN.

"Tun Mahathir's statements on his blog will continue to garner attention. Well known internationally, it is high time he focuses more on statesman-like duties rather than party politics which simply makes him vulnerable to vilification over social media.

"[It's] something many would say he doesn't deserve to get at his age and after all that he has contributed towards developing the country for the past 40 years. I wish him a happy retirement," Ahmad Fauzi said.

Previously a Barisan Nasional stronghold, Mahathir won the Langkawi seat on Pakatan Harapan's ticket in 2018's GE14. The fall of Langkawi to PN this time reflects the major takeover by the largely PAS and Bersatu-dominated coalition in the northern states, Kedah and Perlis, as well as three seats in Penang.

"It's the PAS wave I would say," said political analyst and law lecturer Professor Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmod of the International Islamic University Malaysia.

He added that he believes that fence sitters had "turned against Umno for whatever reason" and voted for PAS or PN representatives.

"What could be the reason? It could be trust and confidence, stability or integrity issues. I believe voters are looking for clean leaders," he told The Edge, adding that voters saw PN as providing a "better alternative as a government".

Meanwhile, Mahathir said he will focus on his writing relating to Malaysia's history and activities.

"In actual fact, there are many incidents that have taken place in the country which have not been recorded, including what happened during the British era," he shared, adding that he is open to being interviewed by writers.

Get our comprehensive GE15 coverage here.