Mohamad, fondly known as “Tok Mat”, said he had been prepared to throw in the towel as he was fed up with politics.

“I was just really tired and hurt when I was given the notice to leave my official residence immediately after the election defeat,” the former menteri besar told a crowd in Kampung Bemban.

“I just packed my clothes and dumped them in a box. I did not know where to move my family to, and at that moment, I decided to quit.”

Mohamad, who is Umno’s acting president, said he decided to stay with one of his children in Negeri Sembilan as he did not own a house in the state.

He attributed this to his hectic schedule of governing the state for 14 years.

But Mohamad said he decided to cancel his plans to retire from politics after feeling  frustrated with Pakatan Harapan ministers.

The ‘penumpang’ controversy

Mohamad again clarified his controversial “penumpang” (passengers) remark, which saw DAP lodge police reports against him, insisting that there were no racial undertones.

He said it was to describe the underperforming ministers in Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Cabinet.

“But it was intentionally misinterpreted by Pakatan as a slur against non-Malays.”

Mohamad had, when campaigning for BN in the Semenyih by-election, reportedly said Malays were being made to feel like visitors in their own country as there were too many “penumpang” in Parliament.

In the Rantau by-election on April 13, Mohamad will be up against PH’s Dr Streram Sinnasamy and two independents, Malar Rajaram and Mohd Nor Yassin.