KUALA LUMPUR:
Gua Musang Member of Parliament Tengku Tan Sri Razaleigh Hamzah said he offered to play a role in restoring Umno for the sake of the Malay race and the party’s own survival. He said he was not in any way taking advantage of the situation following the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) dismal performance in the March 8 general election. The former Finance Minister said his suggestion that a special Umno assembly be convened to evaluate the poor performance in the election, and his offer to contest the president’s post, was made to enable the party to get back on its feet and not stumbled further. “I stated my readiness to lift the spirit of Umno members which has been weakened after the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) defeat in four states and the failure to wrest Kelantan from PAS in the general election. It’s my sincere wish to see the party regain its strength. “I feel that I’ve been called forth to help restore the party,” he told Bernama at his residence here on Sunday night. Earlier he met several grass root leaders from Johor who came to see him to get further clarification about his suggestion that a special Umno meeting be held to discuss the BN’s defeat in Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Perak and Kelantan. Tengku Razaleigh said the special assembly was appropriate so that grass root leaders of Umno can voice out their views about the poll results. He said Umno members wanted to see the party regained strength and remained the umbrella for the Malays, whom he said were feeling disheartened because certain party members were only fighting for personal gain. -Bernama
