Party veterans urge Zahid to make way for Ku Li
KUALA LUMPUR: Umno veterans have urged party vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi not to contest the presidency in the party polls, which will take place at the end of this month.
Umno Veterans secretary-general Datuk Mustapha Yaakub said the move was to make way for Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, fondly known as Ku Li, to win the top post in the elections.
He said Zahid should instead focus on supporting Tengku Razaleigh by contesting the post of deputy president.
He said Umno needed an “external bomoh” to cure the party, which was facing a crisis of confidence, especially among its members.
He added that Ku Li was worthy as he was not part of the Umno Supreme Council hierarchy.
“That’s what we want (Zahid to not contest the presidency). As such, Perak Umno veterans support Ku Li for president and Zahid for deputy president.
“The veterans are of the view that to solve the crisis of confidence, we need an external bomoh. The internal bomoh cannot be used.”
Mustapha said this when asked to comment on Umno grassroots insistence that Zahid gave way to Ku Li to steer Umno.
He said the same situation took place during the party elections after its founder and first party president, Datuk Onn Jaafar, left Umno.
“Tun Abdul Razak Hussein was the deputy president, but at the party elections, he did not offer himself for the position of the president.
“On the other hand, Tun Abdul Razak met Tunku Abdul Rahman so he (Tunku) took over the post of president.
“The same theory should be adopted today,” he said.