GTA will not work with BN, PN, PH after GE15 - Dr Mahathir

SUNGAI PETANI: Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) will not work with Barisan Nasional (BN), Pakatan Harapan (PH) or Perikatan Nasional (PN) to form a federal government after the 15th General Election (GE15), said GTA pro tem chairman, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Dr Mahathir, who is also the chairman of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang), said that GTA has other options if it wants to establish cooperation, which would be with other parties in Sabah and Sarawak as well as independent representatives.

"There are options, but not the three I mentioned earlier. Not BN, not PN, not PH.

"There are parties in Sabah and Sarawak and there are some parties even in the peninsula, or even with independents, with whom we can work if they conform to our standards," he said at a press conference after a meeting with the public here last night.

Also present were his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali and Pejuang deputy president, Datuk Marzuki Yahya, who is also a GTA candidate for the Sungai Petani parliamentary seat.

The GTA is a coalition of four political parties, namely Pejuang, Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra), Parti Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa) and Parti Perikatan India Muslim Nasional (IMAN), as well as a coalition of non-governmental organisations which form the Gagasan Bangsa (GB).

In GE15, GTA candidates are contesting using the Pejuang logo, except in Kelantan which uses the Putra logo.

Dr Mahathir said he does not care if GTA does not become part of the government due to its refusal to work with either BN, PN or PH.

He thought that it would be better for GTA representatives to be in opposition rather than working with any individual he described as a rogue.

Meanwhile, the former prime minister said that the GTA campaign is currently going well and is gaining momentum, and he believes the coalition has a chance to win in some seats.

-- BERNAMA