In a Facebook post, Mahathir maintained that he left Umno as the party had strayed from its original struggle and was no longer prioritising the interests of the nation, race, and religion.

He said Bersatu was established as a political platform for Malays who were dissatisfied with Umno’s direction.

However, Mahathir said many Umno members chose to remain, while others who left did not join Bersatu, resulting in a split in support.

“So Bersatu failed to replace Umno as the Malay party that champions the nation, race, and religion. In the 2018 general election, Bersatu only won 13 seats.

“So the Malays became divided,” he said, adding that such fragmentation would not have occurred if the majority had joined Bersatu.

Mahathir, who has led Umno, Bersatu and Pejuang in the past, said divisions would inevitably have emerged as several other Malay-based parties were formed.

“It’s by joining these other parties that the Malays were divided.”

Last week, Mahathir said no single Malay party could dominate the political arena as the proliferation of parties had fragmented the Malays and set them against one another.

The political veteran added that “the fault lies with the Malays themselves”.

However, leaders from Amanah, Umno, and Bersatu reminded Mahathir of his role in that disunity, having established multiple political parties throughout his career.

After quitting Umno, Mahathir formed Bersatu in 2016 before being sacked and forming Pejuang in 2020. He left Pejuang in 2023.

He has launched several attempts to unite the Malays through the years, including the Gerakan Tanah Air alliance which contested the 2022 general election.

Running against Umno, PAS, and Bersatu at the polls, the alliance saw every candidate losing their deposit, including Mahathir.