Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad has joined hands with long-standing foes, including the party of the jailed Anwar Ibrahim, to crank up pressure on scandal-plagued Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to quit, marking a seismic political shift.
In a dramatic flourish, Mahathir read a statement signed by 58 politicians and anti-corruption activists at a news conference where he was flanked by opposition leaders and some members of the ruling party he has now quit.
“We call upon all Malaysians, irrespective of race, political affiliation, creed or parties, young and old, to join us in saving Malaysia from the government headed by Najib Razak,” the statement said.
One of those beside Mahathir was a close aide of his former protégé, opposition leader Anwar, with whom he fell out when he was prime minister in the late 1990s.
Anwar issued a statement from prison a day earlier, saying that he would “support the position” of those in civil society, political parties and individuals, including Mahathir, in the push to remove Najib.
Besides demanding the resignation of the prime minister, the so-called “core” group demanded the removal of those who had covered up misdeeds, the repeal of laws that violate fundamental rights and the restoration of institutions it said had been undermined, including the police and anti-graft agency.
The rainbow alliance had come together under Mahathir because its members were not powerful individually to loosen Najib’s grip on power, said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
“Dr Mahathir is pulling together everybody with the lowest common denominator – dislike of Najib, as he did not succeed in earlier attempts to topple Najib,” he said.
A government spokesman criticised the move by Mahathir and his former enemies, saying that it “demonstrated the depth of their political opportunism and desperation”.
“There is an existing mechanism to change the government and prime minister. It’s called a general election,” the spokesman said. “And it is the only mechanism that is lawful, democratic and fulfils the people’s will.”
Najib has faced sustained pressure to resign since the middle of last year over allegations of corruption linked to the debt-laden state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), and deposits into his private accounts worth around $681mn.
He has denied any wrongdoing, maintains that he did not use the funds for personal gain, and this year he was cleared of any criminal offence or corruption.
Reports have also emerged of the luxurious lifestyles, lavish spending and jet-set travel arrangements of his family.
Even before the graft allegations emerged, Najib had faced mounting criticism for eroding civil liberties, allowing multi-racial Malaysia’s ethnic divisions to widen, and poor economic stewardship.
Najib denies wrongdoing, saying the corruption accusations are part of an unspecified political conspiracy.
The 1MDB scandal has fuelled a sense of crisis in a country under economic strain from slumping oil prices and a prolonged slide in its currency last year.
Najib has curbed investigations into the scandals and purged his ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) of critics, essentially shutting off internal party challenges.
Whistle-blowers have been arrested, while media outlets reporting on the allegations have been muzzled, raising concerns over rights and freedom speech.
“Today Malaysia is badly tarnished,” the joint statement said, calling for political reforms.
Mahathir, Malaysia’s longest-serving leader, was once Najib’s patron but has become his fiercest critic and, because of his enduring popularity, a thorn in the side of the prime minister.
Last week, he quit UMNO, which has led every ruling coalition since Malaysia’s independence in 1957, saying that it had become Najib’s party and he did not want to be associated with corruption.
Also at yesterday’s news conference was Muhyiddin Yassin, who was sacked as deputy prime minister last year after he openly questioned Najib on the 1MDB scandal.
Another was Lim Kit Siang, an opposition leader and long-time nemesis of Mahathir.
Critics say that perhaps billions of dollars were skimmed from 1MDB in complex overseas transactions.
1MDB, established in 2009 by Najib, denies wrongdoing.
But US authorities are reportedly looking into 1MDB-related fund flows, while Swiss, British, Singaporean and Hong Kong authorities also are scrutinising them.
Swiss authorities said recently up to $4bn may have been stolen from Malaysian state firms and that they were investigating possible fraud and money-laundering.
Najib at first hotly denied allegations that the mysterious $681mn payment was transferred to his personal bank accounts in 2013.
But the government now claims it was a gift from the Saudi royal family, most of which was returned.
The Saudis are yet to officially confirm that claim, which is broadly ridiculed in Malaysia as far-fetched.
A Wall Street Journal investigative report this week said the money originated from 1MDB, not the Saudis.
Wan Saiful Wan Jan, head of Malaysian think tank IDEAS, said that pressure on Najib was increasing.
“The momentum is building against Najib and is stronger than before. It can possibly snowball into bigger pressure, but the resistance from the government and UMNO will be strong as well,” he said.
Najib has weathered the pressure by rallying loyal UMNO leaders and using the party’s tight grip on the country to secure his position.
The new movement announced no plans for public protests and its future strategy was not clear.
The escalating crisis has brought warnings that fears of political instability could impact foreign investment just as the Malaysian economy’s reliance on energy exports is being strained by low oil prices.
UMNO has dominated Malaysia since independence in 1957 by championing the rights of Muslim Malays, Malaysia’s majority ethnic group.
But voters have increasingly rebelled against its divisive racial politics, authoritarian tactics, corruption, and an electoral system seen as tilted in its favour.