After much speculation, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (above) has formally announced that he will be contesting the Umno presidency at the coming party polls.
He will be going up against acting president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and a largely unknown candidate, businessperson-blogger Rahmat Azim Abdul Aziz.
The party veteran said he will bank on his almost six-decade-long political career to lift the party out of the doldrums stemming from its unexpected loss at the recent 14th general election (GE14).
“After studying the position of Umno closely and scrutinising the implications of the decision, especially in regard to its leadership, I humbly offer myself to contest as Umno president whilst offering thanks to God.
“Umno is sensitive to political realities after the GE14 and it will adapt to ensure that we continue to be relevant. This means Umno under my leadership will undergo the necessary reforms.
“[...] as an active politics practitioner and as an Umno member since 1962, it is not an exaggeration for me to say that I understand both party politics and national politics,” he told reporters at his residence in Kuala Lumpur.
When pressed about his running mate, Razaleigh said he will not name anyone yet as he believed there should only be one “Team Umno”.
“The tagline I have been advised to use is ‘Ikhlaskan jiwa, Martabatkan maruah’” he added.
The Gua Musang MP was flanked by vice-presidential candidate Johari Abdul Ghani and former Johor Menteri Besar Khaled Nordin.
Incumbent Federal Territories Umno youth chief and supreme council candidate Mohamad Razlan Rafii was also present.
Razlan had previously lobbied for Razaleigh to go for the party's top post.
Many quarters, especially in Umno's birthplace of Johor, have been pushing for the 81-year-old politician to throw his hat into the ring.
He is seen by them as the only other candidate able to take on Ahmad Zahid and if victorious, capable of rebuilding Umno.
'All divisions' support me
This will be the first time Razaleigh, more fondly known as Ku Li, will contest the top post since 1987 which at the time he lost to Mahathir by just 43 votes.
He offered himself for the presidency again in 2008 but did not get enough nominations to contest.
Pressed on the number of Umno divisions that have expressed support for his presidential bid, Razaleigh was coy at first before offering a figure of 191 which is the total number of Umno divisions nationwide.
Asked if that meant no divisions supported Zahid, he answered: “I suppose so”.
Despite announcing his bid today, Razaleigh has yet to officially submit his application form.
He said he would do so before the submission deadline ends at 11:59 pm tomorrow. The Umno presidential elections are slated for June 30. -Mkini
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