The previous administration and the Umno supreme council should collectively be held responsible for the defeat of Umno and BN in the May 9 general election, said Umno presidential candidate Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
He said this in response to those who felt only part of the party leadership was responsible for the defeat.
"I am saying all those in the supreme council and in the previous government were responsible for the loss. They cannot run away from their responsibility," he said in an interview with Malaysiakini ahead of party elections tomorrow.
He then cited the cabinet members of notorious German leader Adolf Hitler who were sentenced to death for crimes against humanity after Hitler lost the Second World War and committed suicide in 1945.
"Everyone in his cabinet was arrested and tried at Nuremberg, Germany and hung. That's the seriousness of collective responsibility," said Razaleigh.
He, however, stopped short of pointing fingers at his presidency rivals former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
"I didn’t say anything (about both the contenders). I am just espousing the collective responsibility doctrine," said the eight-term Gua Musang parliamentarian.
To a question, Razaleigh said he was not equally responsible for Umno's defeat.
"I am not responsible because I didn't run the government. I am only responsible to my voters," he said.
Taking responsibility for the general election defeat, former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak resigned shortly after May 9.
Umno will need to choose the new leadership that is capable of regaining the confidence of the public. A total 165,000 delegates from 191 divisions nationwide will cast their votes tomorrow.
Witch-hunt worry
Razaleigh, who had previously said Umno should apologise for previous mistakes, said he believed the rakyat will forgive the biggest Malay party if it is sincere.
"It is up to the people (to decide if they will forgive us) but I believe that in the culture of Asians be they Malay, Indian or Chinese, they will consider it if we are sincere.
"They will forgive. God has always pardoned (our) sin no matter how big it is," he said.
There was nothing wrong in Umno seeking forgiveness from the rakyat as this is a commonly practised during Hari Raya, he added.
Razaleigh, however, did not elaborate on what mistakes Umno had committed despite being pressed on whether these included the rising cost of living, the 1MDB scandal or the administration of Najib among others.
"A lot [...] you add (to the list) yourself," he said.
He also raised concern over a report carried by The Malaysian Insight (TMI) which quoted sources as claiming that enforcement agencies were probing some 1,000 people, including BN politicians, suspected of having been paid with 1MDB funds.
If the story was true, Razaleigh questioned if the authorities were on a witch-hunt as politicians from both sides of the divide received funds from their respective parties during the polls.
"Not only did Umno (receive) funds, PKR too. Are you saying only Umno has no angels? It is only fair that they probe all parties," he said.
"That's witch-hinting. If you want to continue doing that along those lines, why not start from 1955 (when the first general election was held)?" he asked. - Mkini
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