It wasn’t me: Dr Mahathir says Najib pushed Pakatan’s 2018 win

KUALA LUMPUR – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who led the short-lived Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government as prime minister, claimed he only played a minor role in contributing to the coalition’s historic win in 2018.

Instead, he attributed the victory, which saw Barisan Nasional (BN) defeated for the first time in its long history, to the then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Speaking at Indonesia’s pro-government party NasDem’s national convention today, Dr Mahathir noted how the majority of Malaysians then had wanted Najib out of the administration, and that this was the main contributing factor that effectively determined the result of the election.

“I take note of the views of certain quarters who felt the reason PH won in 2018 was because I was with them, but there are many other factors at play, chiefly that the whole of Malaysia felt the prime minister at the time was not qualified to be the prime minister.

“He was involved in stealing money so openly, and this was not only revealed in Malaysia, but the case is also mentioned in the US court.

“Malaysians are embarrassed and they want to change the government. I might only have contributed a little to PH’s victory,” he said.

Dr Mahathir was asked by a member of the audience about his role and influence in leading PH’s success in the 2018 general election, in what is popularly known as the Mahathir effect.

This is after the elder statesman quit Umno in February 2016 in protest against the rampant corruption within the government under Najib’s leadership, to form splinter party Bersatu, before cooperating with PKR, DAP and Amanah to topple BN.

Najib, meanwhile, is facing multiple charges of corruption and had already been sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million for graft-related offences involving SRC International Sdn Bhd. He has filed an appeal at the Federal Court.

On a separate matter, Dr Mahathir took to correcting the general misperception among the public that he was a doctor first before becoming a politician, clarifying instead that he has always been a politician first.

The Pejuang chairman explained that his interest in politics had been piqued as early as his teenage years, but acknowledged that the voice of a 17-year-old would not be typically heard by others.

This motivated him to pursue his education, he admitted.

“If I have a qualification from a university, then more people will pay attention to me,” he said.

Dr Mahathir added that, from a very young age, his dream had always been to develop Malaysia into a globally respected country.

“Finally, I was able to assume certain positions and implement various strategies that I felt could help the country develop and be recognised and respected.” – The Vibes, June 17, 2022