Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister, has highlighted how Umno lost its unity following his retirement in 2003. He noted that Malay political support has since splintered across various parties.
In an interview with FMT, Mahathir recalled that during his time as prime minister and Umno president, the party commanded the backing of nearly all Malays. This stood in sharp contrast to today’s divided landscape.
“There was already Malay unity. This Malay unity gave the Malays strength and they won elections,” he said. “There was no dispute as to who was going to lead the party or who would succeed the leader.”
The shift began after he stepped down from both roles. Mahathir explained that internal divisions made it hard to rally behind one leader, leading to persistent battles for the premiership.
“Umno members did not join one party, they joined many parties. They broke themselves up into four or five parties,” he said.
“After I stepped down, there was always this struggle to become prime minister. It should be that the deputy prime minister will succeed the prime minister. But now, everybody thinks that they can become prime minister.”
This change has compelled leaders to include multiple parties to secure Malay support. “If we say only one person can become prime minister, then the others will not support him. To gain the support of all the Malays, all the Malay parties must be given a chance to become prime minister,” Mahathir added.
His comments arise amid discussions on Malay political cohesion. Umno once held sway, but now influence is shared among Umno, Bersatu, PAS, PKR, Amanah, and smaller groups.
In June, Mahathir formed a “Malay secretariat committee” to push for Malay interests under a single “big umbrella”. The veteran, who previously headed Umno, Bersatu, Pejuang, and the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) coalition, described it as a loose alliance of Malays rather than a formal party.
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