Razaleigh's image at stake in Galas by-election

Tay Tian Yan

(Sin Chew) - It has been reported in the news that Umno wants to field Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as its candidate in the Galas state by-election in Kelantan. It is not a bad idea, I mean, for Umno.

How many years has Razaleigh been the MP for Gua Musang? Perhaps he himself is unable to remember. It has to be traced back to the era of Datuk Seri Najib Razak's father. Razaleigh is now one of the country's most senior MPs, and he certainly is also internationally well known.

No one will ever want to challenge Ku Li in Gua Musang, regardless which party he is representing. Even if there are other candidates contesting for that constituency, they do not really mean to challenge him.

The Galas seat is in the Gua Musang parliamentary constituency. Umno is obviously unable to find another candidate with a bigger chance of winning than Ku Li.

If Umno wins the Galas seat, it is going to be a great gain for the party.

But, for Ku Li, what will he gain?

Well, he should be winning after all.

Have you seen Ku Li's business card?

There is only a line of text printed on it – Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. It is not necessary to add any positions or titles to it.

The name Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is already a classic and a kind of status.

There is no need to indicate that he is the Gua Musang MP, party elder, former Finance Minister, founder of Petronas and Semangat 46 and has almost become the Umno president and the prime minister.

Even if he contests in the Galas by-election and wins, he will not print "Galas state assembly member" on his business card.

But, if he loses, it is not a big loss for Umno, but a very big embarrassment for Razaleigh. It means that he has lost the support of voters and become a political has-been with no weight.

How then could he comment on and criticize Umno and the government if he is not able to win even a state seat?

Oh yes, Ku Li has cooperated with Kelantan PAS to fight for oil royalty.

Is he still an Umno member? If he is defeated in the by-election, Umno will lose nothing, but a problem will be solved instead.

Well, so to say, as long as Ku Li contests in the by-election, it will be a victory for Umno and a loss for Ku Li.

Ku Li has been working hard in recent years to play the role of a third force between the BN and Pakatan Rakyat.

He has been criticizing the government and the ruling party, advocating the concepts of liberalization and moderation, causing some people have something to say about his views.

However, he has not joined the Pakatan Rakyat. He has been keeping some distances with the Pakatan Rakyat except for some issues like the oil royalty issue in Kelantan.

The Galas by-election puts him in an awkward position.

As an Umno member, he is unable to stay out of it as it is in his parliamentary constituency. However, how much efforts should he put in it? Should he risk everything and fight it or have some reservations? He is caught in a dilemma.

There is one thing for sure, he will not personally go for the battle. Perhaps it is better to make room for Malay rights group chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali.