Article Author:
Associated Press
Eileen Ring
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA (AP) — Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has warned that Malaysia's corrupt ruling party will hold general elections in the coming months. We expect it to — and a possible big win — but the 90s reformer vowed on Friday that he would fight "even if it's a losing battle" on principle.
Mahathir, in an extensive interview with The Associated Press, said President Joe Biden was "helpless" and "un-Islamic" in supporting Israel, saying that the United States would go to war in Taiwan. for provoking war to Ukraine.
Mahathir said the ruling United Malay National Organization was most likely to "win big" if a general election were held. He believes the money and other incentives offered have brought many rural Malay voters back to his UMNO.
``I think they want a general election this year. Because I feel divided and unorganized," he said.
Elections are not scheduled until September 2023, but some of his UMNO members, including former prime minister Najib Razak and party leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, both face corruption charges. but are rallying for an early vote.
Mahathir served as Prime Minister of UMNO for 22 years, until he retired in 2003. Mahathir, who returned to politics during Najib's term after being inspired by the massive looting of the 1MDB State Fund, rode a wave of public outrage and overthrew the Najib government, making a historic record in his 2018 poll. opposition to victory.
Mahathir became the world's oldest head of government at the age of 93, but his reformist alliance collapsed less than two years after he was exiled. did. UMNO is back in power and is now leading a new coalition government.
Mahathir, now 97, formed the Malay League with the new party Pejuan to contest his 120 Malay-dominated parliamentary seats. He said his mission to "clean up" the country and form a corruption-free government remained unchanged.
"I don't know if I will be a candidate for Prime Minister, but if I am strong enough, healthy enough, and they want me to run, I will," he said. told his AP.
"We will fight even if we lose," he said. "I fight because I believe in principles. That's not what happens to me. I believe in principles. I think this is a great country that can be developed, but it will never be under crooks."
Najib has pleaded not guilty. His final appeal to his 12-year prison sentence, the first of several ongoing trials in the country's Supreme Court, means he will not be allowed to run in case of early elections.
Mahathir said he believed Najib wanted a political comeback with his UMNO victory.
"In the election he expected that if UMNO won, his UMNO government would ask him for a pardon, and if he got a pardon (and) he would be completely cleared. When he can become prime minister," Mahathir said. He said. "He will do it. Trust me, he will do it.
Mahathir has been known for decades as a critic of the West and its geopolitics.
He said Biden was an "ineffective" leader. "In some ways he is very anti-Islamic and unjust. He allows Israel to commit all kinds of crimes, genocide and does nothing. He supports them," Mahathir said. said.
He warned that the United States is hostile to China through recent delegations to Taiwan, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. China views Taiwan as its own territory and views such visits as interference in its own affairs.
"If (China) wanted to invade, they could have invaded. They didn't. And there is an excuse for the US to support Taiwan, fight China and sell Taiwan a lot of arms," Mahathir said.
He also lashed out at the European Union over Russia's war against Ukraine.
"What NATO and the EU are doing is provoking more and asking the Ukrainians to fight," he said. "They promised to accept Ukraine (to NATO), but they did not."
