JOHOR BARU: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said there are currently too many Malay-based parties which has resulted in the Malays being divided and politically weak.
The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia chairman said there were now six Malay-based parties in existence and claimed to have had heard of efforts to set up more such parties.
"Previously, there was only one Malay party... this development (too many Malay-based parties) would only make the Malays become divided and weak. In the end, each parties would only have 30 members," said Dr Mahathir.
He urged all Malays to join Bersatu in order to strengthen the Malay political power.
"In the past, I would invite everybody to join Umno but now I would like to invite everybody to join Bersatu.
"Moreover, because of this development, it is now difficult for any party to win in any constituencies without the support from other parties," said Dr Mahathir.
The prime minister was speaking to the media after attending the Johor Bersatu Aidilfitri open house in Taman Johor Jaya here.
Also present were Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and Johor Bersatu chief Mazlan Bujang.
When asked if this (invitation to join Bersatu) would raise a conflict with other parties in Pakatan Harapan, Dr Mahathir said such issue would have nothing to do with Bersatu.
“It is their problem. We have nothing to do with other parties. Other parties in PH would also get new members," he said.
Dr Mahathir also reminded Bersatu members to forget about any conflicts or differences of opinions and stay united.
"You should be loyal to the party and its struggles, not to certain leaders because leaders can change but the party and its struggles would remain the same," said Dr Mahathir.
He said UMNO's defeat in Johor should be a reminder to Bersatu members to not stray from the party's struggle.
"Johor used to be a stronghold for Umno but because its leaders deviated from its struggles, people rejected them. Now Johor is a Bersatu stronghold," said Dr Mahathir.