KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- A new political party backed by former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad announced its establishment on Friday, after a government agency approved its registration.
The new party, known as Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), will be led by Mahathir as the chairman and the former deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as the president, who was expelled from the ruling UMNO party in June after he called for Najib's resignation amid the alleged corruption in the state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
With the establishment of the new party, PPBM could now step up its efforts to legally challenge the government run by Barisan Nasional, which is led by UMNO, Muhyiddin told reporters after the establishment of the party.
Muhyiddin said the public can apply to join the party from Sept. 14, adding PPBM was hoping for a "big number" of new party members.
It is yet to be seen whether the new party can pose a real threat to Najib but Mahathir has urged opposition parties to unite under one pact to topple the BN government, according to a report from the Star newspaper.
"If they do not do this, then they will lose, like they always have for the past 59 years," said Mahathir.
Mahathir, 90, Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister from 1981 to 2003, quitted UMNO in February in protest of UMNO's failure to deal with the 1MDB scandal.
