SHAH ALAM - Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he should not be blamed for resigning as the premier in 2020 following the political turmoil in the country.
The former Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) chairman said he resigned as prime minister on Feb 24, 2020, because of the lack of support from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
"I resigned because the party rejected me. Usually, when you’re rejected, you have to resign.
"I also realised the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government would fall due to the party hopping from Bersatu and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
"I don’t understand why some individuals are blaming me for resigning as prime minister. I think the ones who should be blamed are those who didn't support my stance," he said.
Dr Mahathir also said he had asked Bersatu to wait on the decision to leave PH and take a wait-and-see approach first.
"Instead, they pounded on the table and told me to leave PH, and it seemed they were rejecting me," he said at a press conference at the Perdana Leadership Foundation, here, on Saturday.
He said this when asked to respond on the Royal Address by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah at the opening of the first meeting of the second session of the 15th Parliament on Monday (Feb 13).
The media previously reported that during the royal address, the Agong said if the episode that led to the resignation of the seventh prime minister did not occur, the chain of political turmoil could be avoided until the 15th General Election (GE15).
Dr Mahathir also said he left Pejuang recently as he was disappointed by the party’s direction.
Asked about Pejuang president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir’s response to his resignation, he replied he did not know.
"I don’t know. That is his thought," he said.
In January, Mukhriz had revealed the cause of Dr Mahathir’s resignation as the party chairman in December 2022.
He said Mahathir’s actions were taken after they had a difference in stance regarding their cooperation with GTA after GE15.