Global Courant
KUALA LUMPUR – Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he will sit out in the upcoming state elections, claiming he is “too old” and “senile” to run as a candidate.
“I’m quite old, I’m already senile,” Tun Mahathir, 97, said sarcastically at a press conference on Tuesday, causing the audience to laugh.
“I don’t understand. People abroad invited me to speak about the future of the world. Japan and South Korea invited me. But when I get back here, people ask when I will retire,” added Dr. Mahathir to it.
Six of Malaysia’s 13 states will go to the polls in August. The states are expected to witness a fierce battle between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition and the Perikatan Nasional (PN) opposition coalition.
The six state elections will be closely watched if any sign of whether Datuk Seri Anwar’s government gains voter support.
Dr. Mahathir served as prime minister twice – from 1981 to 2003 and from 2018 to 2020 – and resigned both times. He lost his parliamentary seat from Langkawi in the 2022 general election.
Meanwhile, he said he will meet with PN Chairman Muhyiddin Yassin to discuss their upcoming cooperation.
This comes after Dr. Mahathir said last week that he does not mind cooperating with his former enemy and the president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Muhyiddin, in the interests of the Malays.
“He (Muhyiddin) supported the Malaysian proclamation and we did not argue. This is all common knowledge,” Dr Mahathir said on Tuesday.
The Malaysian proclamation campaign by Dr Mahathir aimed to unite Malays and lists 12 key issues facing the community.
Asked if the partnership with PN would be permanent or just for the upcoming state elections, Dr Mahathir said it will be discussed during the meeting with Muhyiddin.
“We will discuss. We may participate in the state polls if that is the public’s wish,” Dr Mahathir added.
He was speaking to the press after a private meeting on the roundtable negotiations on the Malaysian proclamation, which was attended by several top leaders, such as Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) president Abdul Hadi Awang.
Earlier, Dr. Mahathir said that all the leaders present at the meeting agreed to address the Malays’ problems.
“This is not to deny the rights of the non-Malaysians,” he added.
