Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has challenged acting president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin to a party presidential debate.
The three are the main contenders for the position of Umno president in the June 30 party election.
"If I dare to step up and explain (issues), the others should also join in, and likewise explain themselves," Tengku Razaleigh, fondly known as Ku Li, said in an interview with Astro Awani.
A total of seven candidates will be vying for the top post in Umno, but the final list of qualified candidates will only be announced tomorrow.
Besides Tengku Razaleigh, Zahid and Khairy, the four other candidates – Rahmat Azim Abdul Aziz, Rosile Saat, Mohd Iqbal Maricair and Mohd Yusuf Musa @Jamaluddin – are relatively unknown.
Last month, former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak stepped down as Umno president after leading BN – and its precursor, the Alliance – to its first defeat in the 61 years since independence.
He will not be contesting in the upcoming Umno election.
Zahid is Najib's presumed successor, and had taken on the role of acting Umno president.
However, his opponents see him as a loyalist of Najib, who they blame for the disastrous May 9 polls, and have cobbled together a movement to oust him.
They had painstakingly convinced Tengku Razaleigh to challenge Zahid, which he eventually agreed to.
However, Khairy, who was initially running for one of the three vice-president posts, pulled off a last-minute surprise by also announcing his bid for the presidency. -Mkini
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