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PUTRAJAYA: Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) was aiming to win about 30 seats in the 15th general election and become the kingmaker in the formation of the new government, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said on Thursday (September 3).
At a press conference on Thursday (September 3), the Pejuang chairman said that the party currently has the support of lawmakers from East Malaysia.
“We are an independent party and we are not tied to either side of the political divide. But what we do know is that a small party could play a big role. If we can get only 30 seats (in parliament), I think we would be in a position to join any of the coalitions. We will give them our conditions and if they agree with our conditions, we will see.
“Now we already have around 18 members of Parliament (MP) from Sabah and Sarawak who are not from Pejuang but are friends of the party and believe in the same principles. Furthermore, we hope that there are enough people on the peninsula to support us, ”he said.
Mahathir Mohmad (second from right) and Amir Khusyairi Mohamad Tanusi (second from left) at the candidate’s announcement ceremony. (Photo: Bernama)
He added that with 30 seats, Pejuang would emerge as the kingmaker in the formation of the new government.
“Maybe 30 seats is enough. We are going to be the determinants of who should be the next government, ”he said.
READ: What we know about former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir’s new political party so far
Dr. Mahathir unveiled the name of his new party on August 12, explaining that it was formed out of the need to fight the corruption that is destroying the nation.
The former prime minister of the Pakatan Harapan government had previously been ousted from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), which he founded, after refusing to support the Perikatan Nasional government led by Bersatu President Muhyiddin Yassin.
When asked how Pejuang, which is currently still a registered party, was doing in terms of membership, Dr. Mahathir said there were a low number of registrations.
He added that around 70 percent of the current members were from “Bersatu Blackout,” referring to the renegade faction of Bersatu.
Commenting on how Pejuang was going to differ from Bersatu as they both have similar principles, Dr. Mahathir said that he would be “very selective” with the members.
“I will make sure that they do not enter the party with the intention of becoming a division chief or a deputy or anything like that. The objective of its membership would be to fight against corruption and defend the rights of the people and Malays, ”he said.
READ: Pakatan Harapan and Pejuang de Mahathir have the same aspirations but not ideologies, says Slim’s by-election candidate
MONEY USED TO BUY VOTES IN SLIM BY-ELECTION: MAHATHIR
On Pejuang’s defeat in Slim’s recent by-election on August 29, Dr. Mahathir claimed that the Muhyiddin government had “used money to buy votes” in the Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold.
“There were vans to transport voters and there they were given money. They were then expected to take photos of their fingers (marked in indelible ink) along with their ballot paper where the vote for Barisan’s candidate was cast. After presenting the evidence, they were given the balance of the money, “he said.
Pejuang’s candidate, Amir Khusyairi Mohd Tanusi, who ran as an independent candidate as the party is not yet registered, only got 2,115 votes to the 13,060 votes for BN candidate Mohd Zaidi Aziz.
Dr. Mahathir said that although he expected to lose in Slim’s by-elections, he anticipated at least 4,000 to 5,000 votes for his candidate.
“But bribery was everywhere,” he said.
