While support for the idea of a united Malay front has been encouraging, Mahathir said that each person aspiring to be prime minister is now building up their own big umbrella.

“As a result, there will be two, three, or even more big umbrellas. And the Malays will support and become members of these umbrellas.

“Just like with party membership, the Malays will become divided. Thus, the big umbrellas will also divide the Malays,” he said in an X posting today.

Mahathir said the Malays were strong enough to win elections and form a government, but only if united under a single platform.

“Believe me, if there is more than one big umbrella, the result will be disunity and defeat,” he said.

However, the former Umno president and Bersatu chairman stressed that the aim is not to form a purely Malay government.

“As with the old Alliance, a coalition government can be formed together with the Chinese, Indians, and other ethnic groups,” he said, referring to the Alliance Party formed in 1952 between Umno, MCA and MIC which won the first federal election.

Mahathir’s remarks come despite his launch of a “Malay secretariat committee” in an effort to “restore Malay power” in the government.

He has insisted that the movement is not politically motivated, but meant to serve as a platform to resolve problems faced by the Malays which he claims the current government has failed to address.