PUTRAJAYA (June 4): Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has announced the formation of a movement to unite Malays with Bersatu and PAS in a bid to resolve issues faced by Malays that he alleges the current government has failed to address.
The movement, known as Jawatankuasa Sekretariat Orang Melayu (Malay People’s Secretariat Committee), is not politically motivated and will serve as a platform to resolve issues faced by Malays, according to Mahathir.
However, he did note that the movement’s goal — regaining power for Malays — can only be achieved if they regain control of the government.
“At this moment, Malays do not yet have a dedicated champion. Right now, we do not care about other problems, we just want to focus on one struggle only — that is the struggle to save the Malays,” the veteran politician told a press conference at the Perdana Leadership Foundation on Wednesday (June 4).
“We know there are many problems faced by the Malays that can only be overcome if the government is controlled by Malays. That is why our struggle is to find a way for us to regain power so we can deal with the problems faced by the Malays.
"And, we agreed to establish this unofficial movement, which we call payung besar (big umbrella), so that all Malays can be within one group,” he added.
Also present at the press conference were Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin and vice president Radzi Jidin, as well as PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Ibrahim Tuan Man.
When asked whether the movement will also involve Umno, Mahathir said he will not be inviting the party but will accept Umno members in their individual capacity.
“Even if they are Umno members or whatever, if they agree with our efforts, we will accept them,” he said.
Meanwhile, when quizzed on the movement’s next steps, whether it would become a political party and contest in the next general election, Mahathir only said that the movement will prepare to ensure victory for the Malays.
“We will make preparations to achieve victory so that Malays regain power in our country," he said. “Today, the Malays have already lost half of their power.”