Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced the formation of an "independent" Malay party which would uphold Bersatu's original anti-corruption struggle.

The reason for this move was because he claimed Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin had “hijacked” the party.

Mahathir also claimed all other Malay-based parties had become more focused on protecting “elites” rather than the Malays.