UMNO won the most seats because the Malays had no choice – Tun M

(ABN News) – Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said UMNO won the most seats in GE13 not because the Malays still support UMNO, but because they had no choice.

“We may pat ourselves on the back because Umno is still the party that won the most (seats) in the 13th general election. But this was not because Malays still support Umno.

“In fact, Umno’s victory in the GE13 is because they had no choice. They feared what would happen if Anwar Ibrahim, won together with DAP,” Mahathir said in his latest blog post.

He warned that this trend was unlikely to continue in the next general election.

“If Umno does not clean itself from corruption and self-interest, the Malays will look for other champions,” he said.

“Many Malays are angry with Umno, they see it as irrelevant and a party that must be rejected. Why? Because Umno no longer fights for race, religion and country. Umno is seen to fight for the interests of certain people and its members only.

“Umno fights for positions and rank, to enrich themselves, for reward and their own pockets,” he said.

He attributed the party’s decline to the refusal of its current leaders to rope in fresh talent, who could pose a threat to their position.

“They work to reduce the possibility of them being challenged, to reduce the likelihood that they will be replaced by people who are more qualified.

“There is no need for new members because the existing members need to protect their share of the rewards. If there are too many members, more must be shared and it will be less than before,” Mahathir said.

“By allowing only less talented people into the party so that they are not a threat, these people will eventually replace the existing leaders when they retire, thus creating a cycle of decline.”

He added that talented people have opted to join the Opposition.