Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad has announced in a press conference that he will be forming a new political party for Malays.

Aims to eradicate corruption and kleptocracy

Mahathir said that although there are too many Malay political parties in the country, some of them, such as Bersatu, have strayed away from their original objectives and are "power-hungry".

"The party will be based on fighting for the Malays and the pribumis. This is because the current Malay parties and pribumi-based have pawned the dignity of their race and religion and have shifted focus to a group that is power-hungry."

The new party also aims to eradicate corruption and kleptocracy, said Mahathir.

He added: "This new party will be inclusive and moderate. We believe that all Malaysians deserve equal treatment."

You can read Mahathir's full statement here:

Kenyataan Media https://t.co/cTgts0j8om pic.twitter.com/CllCIILU48

— Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) August 7, 2020

"We are free, we are bebas."

Responding to queries from the press, Mahathir explained that the party will be "bebas", or independent of other parties or alliances for now.

It will neither be part of the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition nor the opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.

However, Mahathir stated: "When we contest, we may have some agreement with parties, we may not. After the election, we may join one group or the other. We are free, we are bebas."

No name yet

The party has not been registered yet and currently does not have a name.

But The Star previously reported that the party would be registered as Parti Bersatu Rakyat Malaysia.

Mahathir will be the party's chairman and his son, Mukhriz Mahathir, will be the president.

Will treat all races fairly

Even though the party will mainly deal with Malay issues, Mahathir said that it will also champion the interests of other minority groups.

"We will be very fair toward all the other races. But we feel there are some problems with the Malays which need the attention of a Malay party," he explained.

When asked if there will be any non-Malays who will be joining the party, Mahathir replied: "We will look after their interests but it is not necessary for them to become a member."

He added that the party has not decided if they could have associate members.

Mahathir's age also became a talking point.

At 95-years-old, his ability to lead a new political party was questioned by a member of the press.

In response, Mahathir said:

"It will be very selfish on my part to think about my own person to the detriment of the country.

To me, Life is, for me, to work for the country, not for me. So I'm not thinking about resting. If I can, I would like to rest, but people bother me, they come and see me, and the press also sometimes wants to see me. So I always see people."

You can watch the full press conference here:

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Top image from Mahathir Mohamad/Facebook.