After Johor setback, Dr Mahathir said Pejuang would keep fighting, but will learn from its mistakes

Malaysia – Despite its defeat in the Johor state election, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) head Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said on Friday that the party would continue to “fight” in Malaysia’s political arena.

Pejuang had recognized many flaws that had contributed to its defeat in the state elections, according to the former prime minister, and stated that his party would study them and find methods to improve since this was its duty.

During a news conference that was livestreamed on Facebook, he said that Pejuang will continue to emphasize and fight for public needs concerns.

He added that they realized, much to their dismay, that the country’s future, particularly that of the Malay people, may not be secure due to corruption.

“However, we concentrated too much on corruption, and we forgot to emphasize bread-and-butter concerns like job losses, food shortages, and homelessness as a result of a lack of funds.” he remarked

Dr Mahathir then claimed that his party believed the victors of the state elections in Johor, Melaka, and Sarawak were the wrong people to lead the nation since they were implicated in corrupt activities that had wrecked the country.

In Johor and Melaka, the Barisan Nasional (BN) prevailed, but in Sarawak, the BN’s ally, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), won.

“There is a risk that the country’s recovery would be jeopardized if they are backed because of corruption,” he warned.

“That is, our nation will be controlled and ruled by corrupt individuals who will profit from the government’s authority.”

Dr Mahathir also encouraged the Opposition to come together, saying that the party had lost not because of a lack of support, but because votes were divided among the numerous Opposition groups.

However, he said that no decision has been taken on whether Pejuang would form a coalition with other parties in the next general election.

Pejuang ran for 42 of the 56 state seats up for grabs in Johor, but forfeited all 42 deposits it paid to run, as a result of failing to earn at least one-eighth (or 12.5%) of the votes cast for each seat.