PUTRAJAYA: Parti Pejuang Tanah Air will continue being involved in the country’s political arena despite losing in the recent Johor state election, says its chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

       Acknowledging the severity of the election loss, where all 42 of its candidates lost their deposits, Dr Mahathir said the executive council and the political bureau were unanimous in their decision to carry on.

       He said Pejuang would continue championing people’s issues, especially those of the Malays.

       "We (Pejuang) previously focused heavily on combating corruption till we failed to stress on the problems faced by Malaysians, including employment and the difficulty for some to put food on the table.

       "These issues were not emphasised by Pejuang and caused voters to not be attracted to the party,” he said, adding that the party would continue to address the matter.

       On whether an opposition coalition would be created to go against Barisan Nasional in the 15th General Election (GE15), the former prime minister said there was a possibility of it happening.

       "It is possible....suggestions were voiced by several opposition parties not to split, as splits would cause us to lose. This suggestion (a coalition of opposition parties) needs to be studied in depth,” he said.

       Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir said that GE15 should be held when Malaysians were really ready to enable them to carry out their appointed responsibilities properly. - Bernama