Zahid said Mahathir should realise that the majority of the Malays were returning to Umno as they were disappointed with the way Pakatan Harapan (PH) had governed the country during its 22 months in power.

Mahathir should not disparage the honesty and wisdom of the Malays, Zahid said.

Mahathir should realise that the majority of the Malays were returning to Umno because they have realised the mistakes they had made in voting PH into power in 2018.

“They don’t want to make the same mistake again because they were deceived by lies, incitement, slander and the sweet promises of manifestos that were not Bibles,” said Zahid, referring to Mahathir’s statement in 2018 that PH’s manifesto “is not a Bible”.

“As a result of that mistake, they have witnessed the damage not only to the economy, but also to the harmony of multiracial Malaysia. The Malays have understood how important it is to have a government that has proven to be capable, experienced, strong and stable.

“Just because the majority of the Malays no longer trust Pejuang, Gerakan Tanah Air, PH or Perikatan Nasional…they should not be accused of supporting Umno because of money,” Zahid said.

Pejuang chairman Mahathir also heads Gerakan Tanah Air, a loose coalition of Malay-based parties, NGOs, academics, and professionals.

On Friday, Harian Metro quoted Mahathir as saying that Umno had a strong chance at winning GE15 as “it has a lot of money”. He did not elaborate but also said Malay voters are supporting Umno once again as they were offered money and other incentives.