Former Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) vice-president Datuk Hamidah Osman at a press conference held at her Batu Gajah home August 20, 2018. — Picture by Farhan Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — Former PPBM vice-president Datuk Hamidah Osman today claimed that she had witnessed DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang pitching the idea of setting up Bersatu to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2016.

Hamidah in a press conference in Ipoh today also revealed that she is the person who told Datuk Seri Najib Razak what had transpired during the meeting between Lim and Dr Mahathir.

Her revelation comes just a day after Lim challenged Najib to prove his claim that he had a role in Bersatu’s formation.

“I was present, and Kit Siang was there. In our discussions, right in front of me, Kit Siang proposed to Dr Mahathir to set up a Malay party like Umno to garner 10 per cent of Umno’s votes. He (Lim) then said if successful, Pakatan Harapan would form the government.

“Since there is a question on who had told Najib, I hereby confess that I was the one present when the matter was discussed between Mahathir and Kit Siang,” Utusan Malaysia quoted her as saying.

Hamidah, who is currently the Parti Putra Perkasa Negara vice-president, said the meeting took place at the Perdana Leadership Foundation, on March 4 in 2016, during which several other leaders were also present.

On July 12, Najib claimed that Bersatu was Lim’s idea.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) advisory council chairman claimed Lim made the suggestion to Dr Mahathir ahead of GE14 as instigation to pit the Malays against each other and cause their own downfall.

In response, Lim had challenged Najib to prove his claim by revealing his informant’s identity.

The Iskandar Puteri MP said Najib would not be able to provide evidence of the claims and called him an unscrupulous, unprincipled and incorrigible liar.

Earlier today Dr Mahathir ridiculed those who claimed Lim was the mastermind behind the formation of PPBM, suggesting the accusers were mad and should be admitted to the psychiatric hospital.

“Yes he gathered and met all Malay leaders and warlords and told them we should all form PPBM so we just unanimously said yes, yes, yes,” the PPBM de facto leader told reporters during a press conference.

He then belittled detractors who suggested Lim had aimed to divide the Malays by forming yet another Malay-based party as having “inferiority complex”.