Since crossing over the political divide, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's detractors have accused him of making a series of 180-degree turns.

The latest being his support for securing a royal pardon for his heir apparent-turned-nemesis-turned-accomplice Anwar Ibrahim and the latter's candidature for the prime minister's post if Pakatan Harapan wins the next general election.

In a blog post this evening, Mahathir, who is now the chairperson of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), blamed Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for his U-turn.

“I did a U-turn long before my agreement to support Anwar's royal pardon and candidature as PM. I did it when Najib did a U-turn with Umno.

“The Umno which was set up in 1946 was dedicated to independence under a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy,” he said.

Reiterating his allegations that Najib had abused his power and dabbled in corruption, Mahathir said this made him lose faith in the current Umno...