Mahathir ticks off 'green wave' scare tactics
The former leader says a Malay government in the first 60 years of independence saw non-Malays making much progress.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad today criticised attempts to negatively portray a Malay-majority government, in possibly his first clear defence of PAS whose gains alongside the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition in the last polls were dubbed the "green wave".
Mahathir, who led the country twice for a total of some 24 years, said the Malays had dominated the government for 60 years with rapid progress within that period.
"The non-Malays made a lot of progress. Don't try to spread fear about a Malay government by scribbling them over in green," the veteran leader said.
The 15th general election last November saw PN sweeping predominantly Malay federal seats previously considered the fort of Umno.
Bersatu and PAS, the main partners of PN, won 74 seats with PAS gaining 49, topping all other political parties in its biggest electoral achievement since its formation in 1951.
Pakatan Harapan meanwhile won 82, but not enough for a simple majority.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong subsequently advised both coalitions to work together, a proposal rejected by PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin who said it was against the coalition's principles to work with Anwar Ibrahim.
While PAS' gains were labelled by some analysts as a "green wave", Bersatu MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan had criticised this, insisting that it was a "wave of integrity" that led the Malays to reject corruption-tainted politicians in Umno.
Subscribe to our newsletter
To be updated with all the latest news and analyses daily.
