KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 13 (CNA) - Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has named his newly founded party as Pejuang, which means warrior.

Unveiling the name on Wednesday (Aug 12), Dr Mahathir said the party was formed out of a sense of awareness and the need to fight corruption that is destroying the nation.

“So choose. Our party is formed out of a sense of awareness. Corruption destroys the nation. Corruption destroys the Malays.

“If you want positions and money, choose other parties. If you want to redeem your dignity and defend our rights, choose our party. Choose Pejuang,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook and Twitter pages.

Dr Mahathir, 95, announced the formation of a new political party last week but did not reveal a name.

The new party - which will be led by his son Mukhriz Mahathir as president and himself as chairman - is not aligned with either Pakatan Harapan (PH) or Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Dr Mahathir had in May 2018 led the PH coalition to a historic electoral victory.

During a press conference announcing the formation of the party last week, Dr Mahathir said that his new party is Malay-based and will be focused on fighting corruption and ensuring Malaysia "once again become an Asian tiger".

Dr Mahathir's new party on Wednesday also threw its support behind an independent candidate contesting the upcoming Slim by-election.

The candidate is 38-year-old lawyer Amir Khusyairi Mohamad Tanusi, who was born in Perak, according to The Star.

The Slim seat fell vacant after its assemblyman Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib, 59, from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) died of a heart attack on Jul 15.

The by-election is slated to be held on Aug 29, with nomination day on Aug 15 and early voting on Aug 25.

Barisan Nasional's candidate is Mohd Zaidi Aziz, a native of Slim River who is also the acting Tanjung Malim UMNO chief.