Umno presidential contender Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah told party delegates in Penang today that Umno must ask the rakyat for forgiveness for all its past mistakes if it is to rise again.
Better known as Ku Li, the Gua Musang MP said Umno should apologise to all Malaysians for neglecting its duties and responsibilities as the people had entrusted their faith in the party.
“We must apologise for all that has made the people angry so that they can come close to us again,” the Kelantan prince said at a meeting with about 150 Penang Umno delegates in Seberang Jaya.
“If I can get the consensus of all the divisions, I want every one of them to go to the grassroots and apologise for our past mistakes in betraying their trust,” he added.
“For this is the Malaysian culture and Islam also teaches people to ask for forgiveness. I do not see why we cannot apologise,” said the 81-year- old politician.
Ku Li is facing four other contenders, including Umno acting president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and two others for the party’s top post at its internal polls this weekend.
“The longest serving MP in the world”, as Ku Li describes himself, previously contested for the president’s post was in 1987 against then Umno president and prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
After he lost, Razaleigh left the party and formed Semangat 46 but he later returned to Umno.
This Saturday, some 165,000 delegates will cast their votes across 191 divisions nationwide to decide on the party’s top post and other leaders.
It will be a challenging battle as Umno and BN suffered a massive loss at the recent May 9 general election, losing the federal government to Pakatan Harapan.
The party’s former president and then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak was ousted in GE14 and replaced by Mahathir, who now is prime minister for a second stint. – Malaysiakini