Ku Li: Umno should quit PN to avoid being punished for its 'sins'

 

Veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has warned his party that it will have to pay the price of the “sins” committed by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government if it does not leave soon.

The Gua Musang MP told The Malaysian Insight that the biggest sin committed by PN is the declaration of a state of emergency which Umno does not agree with, adding that it has caused foreign investors to look to neighbouring countries.

“Not only foreign investors, but local investors are also turning to Indonesia and other countries. As a result of this, thousands of jobs have been lost.

“The problem with staying is that we will have to carry the sins and mistakes made by PN although we are not members of their coalition.

“Why should Umno bear the brunt of other people’s sins?” he said, expressing the belief that Umno had only agreed to support the PN government to end the political turmoil in the aftermath of the Sheraton Move.

He also claimed that the party's grassroots were not happy being part of the coalition and said he agreed with former minister Shahrir Samad that the party should dispense with the tradition of having the party president installed as the country’s prime minister.

“Many developed countries such as Britain and the United States have prime ministers and presidents that don’t lead their parties.

“The party president’s job is to uphold the party’s struggles and promote the party ideology, while the prime minister or president is to lead the country.

“We want people who are capable, have the calibre and can be the pride of Malaysia. This person must be someone who can take the country to greater heights.

“There’s no point in having a prime minister that is popular in the party but has a bad record… and cannot be a role model for the country,” said Tengku Razaleigh, who also called for the party to select candidates based on capability, not hierarchy. - Mkini