KUALA LUMPUR: Padang Rengas Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz will not defend his seat in the next General Election (GE15) after serving six terms since 1995.
He said his retirement from politics would pave the way for a political reset and give way to fresh blood.
"I hope this serves as a message to the old guards. Politicians must realise that political leadership should give way to new leaders.
"We need continuity, don't act as if we will be at the top forever, there will come a day we have to hand over to the next generation.
"I have been the Umno division chief for almost 20 years and a parliamentarian since 1995 and have been elected as a deputy minister. Before that, I was Senator in 1991 and became a minister in 1999.
"It is time (to retire). Before people show us the exit, it is better for us to leave ourselves," he told Berita Harian, today.
Nazri has headed various ministries under the administration of Prime Ministers Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
He was also among the Umno members who openly defended the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government. He had also criticised Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for pulling the plug on the PN federal government and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Known for his sarcasm and hard-hitting remarks, Nazri said the results of the 14th General Election was a blessing in disguise.
This is because if Barisan Nasional (BN) had won, he might still be a minister, he said.
When Muhyiddin took over the nation's administration last year, Nazri admitted he was offered a Cabinet post but rejected it with the reason that his time had passed.
"I am from the same era as Najib and Muhyiddin. Both of them are no longer the prime minister.
"If my contemporaries are all 'done', then I should quit too, especially when the new Prime Minister is from the junior batch," he said.
Nazri began his political journey at 24 in 1978 when he was appointed Umno Youth exco and subsequently appointed as the Umno Youth vice-chief in 1993.
He was a member of the Umno supreme council for 28 years from 1990 to 2018 and was a member of Dewan Negara from 1991 to 1995.
The 67-year old lawmaker also led the Entrepreneur Development Ministry from 1999 to 2004, was the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Parliament) from 2004 to 2013 and Minister of Tourism and Culture from 2013 to 2018.
