Masidi: Ku Li contesting will strengthen party
KOTA KINABALU: Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s decision to run for the party presidency is seen as a positive sign.
State Umno assistant secretary Datuk Masidi Manjun said the party needed a capable leader to rebuild it since Barisan Nasional lost power in the 14th General Election.
“The party needs to start from a clean slate and new leadership, who, in the opinion of the members, can manage the arduous task of making the party great once again,” he said.
Masidi said news of 81-year-old Tengku Razaleigh offering himself to contest the Umno presidency indicated the party was reclaiming its democratic tradition of allowing any member to contest any post.
This, he said, was a healthy departure from the previous practice of guided democracy when the top post was left uncontested supposedly to maintain party unity or rules that had made it difficult for any member to qualify to be a candidate.
“Allowing contest for the top posts is testament to the political maturity of its members, who have grown confident that an open contest will not lead to disunity.
“On the contrary, it will strengthen Umno and save the party from the possibility of being rendered irrelevant in the face of a fast-changing political landscape nationally and globally,” he said.
Noting that accountability was the new political slogan of the millennium, Masidi, who is Ranau Umno division chief, also said it was crucial for every aspiring leader to go through strict evaluation by party members.
Sabah Umno Youth vice-chief Shahelmy Yahya said Tengku Razaleigh’s decision was very much anticipated among party members.
“Ku Li is the best candidate in the changing scenario,” he said.