Soon after veteran Malaysian leader and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad quit the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), saying it has been hijacked by embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak to protect his own interests, the incumbent leader has received much-needed support from Saudi Arabia.
Najib Razak thanked King Salman for his support in his speech before meeting the monarch on March 2 during a visit to Saudi Arabia meant to deepen ties between the two major Muslim countries. Najib’s visit came after Malaysia’s attorney general in January decided not to prosecute the Prime Minister, saying the $700 million deposited in his accounts were a “personal donation” from the Saudi royal family. The chief prosecutor also said most of the Saudi donation had been returned.
Speaking at an economic forum on Tuesday in the Saudi city of Jeddah, Najib expressed his gratitude. “I would like to personally thank the royal family of Saudi Arabia for all their support over many decades. I am proud to say that we are like brothers,” he said, referring to Saudi-Malaysia relations.
Najib has come under pressure to resign after documents leaked last July showed more than $700 million was channeled into his private bank accounts. However, the Attorney General decided last month not to prosecute Najib, saying most of the money was a personal donation from Saudi Arabia’s royal family.
Mahathir said he decided to quit the United Malays National Organisation because it was now “a party dedicated to supporting Najib, protecting Najib and upholding whatever he does, including some of the wrong things he has done.”
“I feel embarrassed that I am associated with a party that is seen as supporting corruption,” he told a news conference. “I am very much ashamed of all that is happening, I decided that I cannot be a party to all these things, so the least I can to do is leave the party.”
Mahathir was Prime Minister for 22 years before stepping down in 2003. He remains an influential political figure and has led calls for Najib to resign. However, his departure from the ruling party is unlikely to have a major impact on Najib, who continues to enjoy the support of senior UMNO leaders. Najib has retained their backing because of the patronage he has been handing out, something which Mahathir also did to ensure his longevity in politics.
This is the second time Mahathir has left the UMNO, the linchpin of the ruling coalition that has been in power since Independence from the UK. He quit in 2008 to protest his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and rejoined the party in 2009 after Najib came into power.
Mahathir said a Prime Minister should never have so much money, no matter where it came from. He said the announcement that it came from the Saudi royal family was “illogical” as there were no documents or banking evidence to show the trail.
Mahathir said Najib replaced the former attorney-general who had been investigating him with a loyalist, who last month ordered the anti-corruption agency to close its investigation against Najib. The agency is appealing the decision.
“The focus of UMNO is on how to keep Najib as Prime Minister, how to keep him in power,” Mahathir said. “UMNO as a political party no longer exists. The party has been hijacked by Najib and turned into Najib’s party.”
Communications Minister Salleh Said Keruak, a senior UMNO leader, said the party has been through many crises. “But UMNO survived and life went on. And UMNO will survive this one as well. In the long run it is better for everyone concerned that Dr Mahathir leaves the party,” he wrote in his blog.
(With inputs from AP)