PETALING JAYA: Former Federal Territories Pejuang chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan has hit out at “hypocrites” and “traitors” within the party for attempting to tarnish the legacy of its former chairman, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Khairuddin claimed that there were some in the party who had challenged Mahathir while attempting to cover up their own deficiencies by blaming others.
He claimed that they had accused him, Pejuang deputy president Marzuki Yahya and Abu Bakar Yahya – an aide to Mahathir – of influencing the former prime minister into making wrong decisions for the party.
“These political hypocrites are now twisting the story and accusing those who strongly supported Mahathir’s cause,” he said in a statement.
He questioned how a seasoned politician like Mahathir could be so easily influenced, and said the truth behind his resignation as Pejuang chairman will soon come to light.
Mahathir had resigned as chairman of Pejuang, the party he founded in 2020 after quitting Bersatu, last Friday.
A Pejuang leader who spoke on condition of anonymity told FMT that the former prime minister’s family had wanted him to take a step back from politics. However, the leader was unsure if that was the true reason for his resignation.
On Monday, Khairuddin resigned as Pejuang’s Federal Territories chief, citing a loss of confidence in party president Mukhriz Mahathir’s leadership.
This followed the party’s dismal performance in the recent general election, which saw veterans like Mahathir and Mukhriz failing to defend their parliamentary seats while losing their deposits.