Malaysia's Mahathir Announces to Launch New Political Party

Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad, 95, announced Friday that he was setting up a new political group to assume power months after he took office as prime minister and his government failed.

Mahathir, the world's longest dictator before his resignation in February, first joined politics as a member of parliament in 1964 and retained two posts as prime minister for a quarter of a century, reports AFP.

But far from peacefully retiring, the sprinkled nonagenarian began to question the authority of the chief that had succeeded him, and formed a new faction on Friday.

Mahathir said the group, still unnamed, would be independent, champion the rights of the Muslim majority of the country and fight corruption.

"We will fight the parties involved in bribery and the stealing of money," he told reporters at a press conference.

Mahathir said that he will be president and that the group would not be part of the new government or political coalition that he used to be a leader of.

Several other MPs have appeared with Mahathir at the announcement.

The ex-premier used to be a leader of a faction named Bersatu, which he formed up to fight the 2018 election, but divided when Mahathir 's unstable coalition government dissolved.

The senior politician was the first prime minister from 1981 to 2003, but then started a comeback in anticipation of the polls two years ago to take over Najib Razak's authoritarian government.

He led an opposition alliance to a shock victory and returned as prime minister.

Yet this year, the cabinet dissolved in the wake of extreme infighting about whether Anwar Ibrahim was to become the next prime minister, and Mahathir resigned.

He sought to return as prime minister but lost to Muhyiddin Yassin, who now heads a alliance that comprises Najib's scandal-ridden faction.

Analysts said Mahathir's party would need the support of other parties to stand a chance of success.

"Standing alone, he would be lucky to win back his own seat," Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow, from the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, told AFP.