KUALA LUMPUR, (Reuters) – Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad yesterday joined hands with long-standing foes, including the party of the jailed Anwar Ibrahim, to crank up pressure on scandal-plagued Prime Minister Najib Razak to quit, marking a seismic political shift.
In a dramatic flourish, Mahathir read a statement signed by 58 politicians and anti-corruption activists at a news conference where he was flanked by opposition leaders and some members of the ruling party he has now quit.
“We call upon all Malaysians, irrespective of race, political affiliation, creed or parties, young and old, to join us in saving Malaysia from the government headed by Najib Razak,” the statement said.
One of those beside Mahathir was a close aide of his former protege, opposition leader Anwar, with whom he fell out when he was prime minister in the late 1990s.
Anwar issued a statement from prison a day earlier, saying he would “support the position” of those in civil society, political parties and individuals, including Mahathir, in the push to remove Najib.
Besides demanding the resignation of the prime minister, the so-called “core” group demanded the removal of those who had covered up misdeeds, the repeal of laws that violate fundamental rights and the restoration of institutions it said had been undermined, including the police and anti-graft agency.
The rainbow alliance had come together under Mahathir because its members were not powerful individually to loosen Najib’s grip on power, said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
“Dr Mahathir is pulling together everybody with the lowest common denominator – dislike of Najib, as he did not succeed in earlier attempts to topple Najib,” he said.
A government spokesman criticised the move by Mahathir and his former enemies, saying it “demonstrated the depth of their political opportunism and desperation”.