Buck up if you want to stay in power, Ku Li tells Umno

Gua Musang MP Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah speaks to the press after launching a book on Tunku Abdul Rahman at Wawasan Open University in George Town, Penang, yesterday. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Hasnoor Hussain, May 31, 2014.Umno has to buck up if the party and Barisan Nasional want to remain in power, said Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

The veteran Umno MP said Umno has to start looking into all the reformatory measures demanded by the society.

"That is, if they are really listening, especially to the young people who will make up 60% to 70% of new voters in the next general election.

"I may not be there but the country will still be there. If they (BN) want to continue to be in power, they have to listen to grouses and start taking the views of the people all around, as others do.

"If you do not move with the times, with the thinking of the young and take some drastic measures, you will lose out and be left behind. If you lose, you won't be there after this," he said, adding that another four years to the next general polls was not a lot of time.

Razaleigh was speaking to reporters after launching a book on Tunku Abdul Rahman yesterday evening when he was asked how BN will be affected should it lose the Teluk Intan by-election today in Perak to DAP, barely a week after the opposition party won the Bukit Gelugor by-election.

BN chose not to contest in Bukit Gelugor, a traditional DAP stronghold, because it had very little chance in winning the seat. But the coalition is contesting in Teluk Intan with Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong, who was the MP there from 1999 to March 2008, as candidate.

Mah is in a straight fight against DAP's young Malay law graduate Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, who is seen as the favourite to win the by-election today.

There has been much talk about Dyana being fielded in the Chinese-majority parliamentary constituency. DAP said the bold move is show the nation that the days of race-based politics is coming to an end and that the race of the candidate no longer matters.

But Dyana has been subjected to sexism, ridicule and speculations, partly due to her mother Yammy Samat being a member of Umno and the controversial Malay rights group Perkasa.

Dyana's detractors had questioned her over a picture of her being photographed together with Razaleigh and Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali.

Asked to comment about Dyana's candidacy, Razaleigh jokingly asked why he was not asked about an old man being fielded.

"It is their (DAP's) prerogative. But I think it is a question of tactic.

"I think DAP is smart getting a young person to be fielded as a candidate for that particular constituency. Winning or losing is another matter.

"I think it is a political tactic, a political calculation maybe on the part of the DAP leadership," he said.

When asked about Dyana's mother Yammy Samat being his supporter, Razaleigh, who is also popularly known as Ku Li, laughed aloud.

"They are all my supporters. Even (DAP parliamentary opposition leader Lim) Kit Siang was one too.

"He was in Gagasan Rakyat when I was chairman. Remember?" he said, referring to the coalition his Semangat 46 party had formed with DAP for the 1990 general election.

Parti Melayu Semangat 46, a now defunct party, was formed in 1988 by Razaleigh's "team B" faction of Umno to challenge the then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. It was dissolved in 1996.