Young new leaders can save ‘doomed’ Umno, says Ku Li

 

Umno veteran Tengku Razeleigh Hamzah says Umno still holds promise if its leaders willingly step aside to make room for younger leaders.

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno stalwart Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has urged his party to recognise the need for change and let young new leaders take the helm of the leadership.

Tengku Razaleigh, who is currently an adviser to Umno, also warned that the party will be doomed if its current leadership fails to align the party with the wishes of the majority of the Malays.

He said Umno still holds promise if its current leaders step aside to groom and make room for new younger leaders.

“If the leadership of Umno today does not bend with the wind, meaning does not go according to the wishes of the majority of the Malays, then Umno is dead.

“But if the Umno leadership recognises the fact that time has come for a change, and that they ought to make sacrifices, give way to the young, guide them and let them take over, then here’s a good future for Umno,” he said in an interview with FMT.

Tengku Razaleigh had been asked whether Umno could make a comeback and return to being the anchor party in the government representing the Malay community.

Umno seeks to recapture Malay support following disappointing performances in the 2022 general election and subsequent state elections.

Party leaders have said that the Malay electorate is angry with Umno for straying from its original principles by teaming up with long-time political rival Pakatan Harapan.

When asked whether current Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should be replaced by his deputy Mohamad Hasan, Tengku Razaleigh insisted that senior leaders should “take a back seat” and give opportunities to the younger generation instead.

“The last 30 to 40 years…we have not groomed young people. We should have groomed young people to take over as soon as we got tired.

“I wouldn’t be where I was or where I am if not for the old who paved the way for people, young people like me. I came in at the age of 24, 25.”

Tengku Razaleigh, commonly known as Ku Li, joined Umno in 1962 and eventually became part of the Supreme Council in 1971. A three-term MP for Ulu Kelantan and then eight-term MP for Gua Musang, he became Umno vice-president in 1975.

He is well-known for having challenged Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the Umno presidency in 1987, which led to an open split in the Malay party.

Malay electorate must reunite under Umno

Tengku Razaleigh said Bersatu and PAS have only garnered substantial support from the Malay electorate today due to dissatisfaction with Umno’s inability to stay true to its principles.

He said Malay voters “are getting very despondent with the ability of our leaders to maintain a straight and proper path in their struggle, so they drifted away”.

For the sake of its future, Tengku Razaleigh said Umno should invite all Malays to return to the party, and get members from splinter political parties like Bersatu and PAS to reunite under Umno.

The splits that led to the creation of different parties had weakened the collective political influence of the Malays, he said.

“Umno has a good future if Umno now says: ‘Look, all of you Malays, we are here to look after the Malays. All of you come back and join Umno.’ Let us relook at Umno and see what they want for the future,” he said. - FMT