KUALA LUMPUR – Umno is going to fare worse in the next general election than it did in the recent polls if Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi remains at the helm, ex-party president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.
The former two-time prime minister attributed this to Zahid’s ongoing court cases on allegations of corruption.
In a statement, Dr Mahathir noted that Umno only managed to secure 26 parliamentary seats in the 15th general election in November.
He said Zahid was tied up with his court case, and was “desperate” to stay out of jail, so much so that he was driven to cooperate with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and DAP to form the government, going against an earlier resolution passed by Umno.
“Zahid is afraid that if he does not become the deputy prime minister, he will be found guilty (in court).
“That is also why he is not allowing the positions of Umno president and deputy president to be contested. This way, the party will be controlled by a president currently on trial.
“There’s a high possibility that in the (next) general election, Umno’s seats will dwindle further,” Dr Mahathir said.
The 97-year-old also said the reason for Umno’s decline over the past couple of decades is due to his predecessors drifting away from the party’s original struggle, namely to fight for the nation, race and religion.
“Umno’s decline is because the party presidents abuse their power...with the current president now charged, will Umno members continue to support the party?” – The Vibes, January 1, 2023
