Mahathir – who previously led Umno, Bersatu and Pejuang – claimed that the Malays would lose their hold on Malaysia if they do not unite.

“I have been working on uniting the Malays for more than two years. I have to admit that I have failed.

“Therefore, this beloved country will slip away from the grasp of the Malays, and the history of the Malays will come to an end because they prioritise the fate of their leaders rather than race, country and religion,” he said in a social media post.

Mahathir had launched several attempts to unite the Malays in the past. More recently, he launched a Malay-centric umbrella initiative in June last year involving key opposition figures and parties.

However, its fate was thrown into question at the height of the tiff between Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and his former deputy Hamzah Zainudin.

Mahathir had also formed the Gerakan Tanah Air coalition involving Malay parties, NGOs, academics and professionals in August 2022 and contested the general election later that year.

However, every GTA candidate lost their deposit in the 2022 polls, including Mahathir himself. He left Pejuang shortly after that.

Last month, Mahathir said the Malays have only themselves to blame for their disunity and struggles, saying the proliferation of Malay parties had fragmented the community and set them against one another.

He had also said that being a party president or prime ministerial candidate mattered less than one’s ability to unite the Malays.