Dr M: Perkasa popular as Umno appears incapable
(Malaysian Insider) – un Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes the Malay nationalist group Perkasa is popular within the community because Umno is being seen as incapable of protecting their rights.
But the former Umno president said his party is still stronger than Perkasa, which is led by Pasir Mas MP Datuk Ibrahim Ali who was a deputy minister in his administration.
“Among the majority of Malays, there is a feeling that Umno is, by itself not quite capable of protecting them (Malays),” Dr Mahathir told reporters after an event at the National Library here.
“This has in turn resulted in a lot of NGOs being formed,” he said, referring to the various Malay non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The former prime minister also affirmed that Perkasa’s popularity among the Malays was increasing because they represented a significant number of Malay opinion.
He however stopped short of stating that the Malay nationalist group was formed as a pressure group to Umno.
