Ku LI: Join DAP if you want multiracial party
(MMO) – Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has made it clear that he will not open up Umno’s membership to non-Malays should he win the party’s presidency.
“For those who want a multi-racial political party, they can join DAP,” he said in a short and cynical reply during a question-and-answer session during a Johor Umno Hari Raya Aidilfitri gathering at the M Suites Hotel here last night.
Also present were Johor Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin; Johor Opposition Leader Datuk Ir Hasni Mohammad; and Johor Umno Secretary Datuk Md Jais Sarday.
Around 1,000 Johor Umno members and supporters turned up for the event.
The 81-year-old Umno veteran, popularly known as Ku Li, was earlier asked by an Ayer Hitam Umno member for his personal views on opening up the party to non-Malays.
Tengku Razaleigh explained that the Chinese community are currently not supporting Umno.
“They (the Chinese community) prefer to support DAP instead,” he said, without elaborating further.
However, the Gua Musang MP stressed that Malaysia was a multi-racial country and although Umno is a party for Malays, they have to work with other parties without neglecting the interests of any race.
Following Barisan Nasional’s (BN) and its lynchpin Umno’s resounding defeat at the 14th general election last month, there have been proposals for Umno to review its constitution to allow its membership be open to all races in view of the changing political landscape in the country.
Among those who support the move are Pahang Umno chief Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, and also outgoing Umno Youth chief and the party’s president candidate Khairy Jamaluddin.
During Tengku Razaleigh’s speech, he cleared the air over claims that he was not loyal to Umno as he had once left the party to form Semangat 46 in 1989.
“I have never left the party to form the Semangat 46, as claimed by some parties over the years.
“Such allegations against him were just Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s propaganda,” he claimed.
Looking back, Tengku Razaleigh added that what happened was that Dr Mahathir did not want him to join the newly formed Umno (Umno Baru) when the previous party was banned in 1988.
“What happened was that when the previous Umno was deemed illegal, we were partyless, so we needed a party,” he said.
Tengku Razaleigh continued that when new Umno was set up by Dr Mahathir and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, he was not accepted as a member.
“He (Dr Mahathir) said I was a pest… not just me but Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Musa Hitam and a long list of those who wanted to join new Umno, but were prevented from doing so.
“So, if anyone says Ku Li left Umno and joined Semangat 46, that’s not right because it was Dr Mahathir’s propaganda against me,” he said, adding that on the advice of Tunku Abdul Rahman, Semangat 46 party was set up while waiting for Dr Mahathir to accept them back into the Umno fold again.
