Pages

Monday, November 29, 2021

Ku Li hoping to bow out of politics at GE15



Ku Li hoping to bow out of politics at GE15


“I’m a bit old now. Actually, not ‘a bit’. I am old,” says the Kelantan prince, who is MP for Gua Musang.

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah could be bowing out of politics once the 15th general election is called, after serving as an elected representative for more than 50 years.

In an interview with FMT, Malaysia’s longest-serving MP admitted that he wanted to call time on his long political career due to his age, though this was ultimately up to the Umno leadership.

“I’m a bit old now. Actually, not ‘a bit’. I am old,” said the Kelantan prince and Gua Musang MP with a chuckle. “I’ve said this many times. The last two elections (GE13 and GE14) I had also said, ‘Count me out,’ but I think this time it’s for real. It depends on the party leadership.

“The problem I have is that, if I withdraw, the constituency (Gua Musang) may not be a safe constituency. That was the reason given to me before, that’s why I had to stand at the last two elections,” he said.

Tengku Razaleigh, familiarly known as Ku Li, said many in the party would be scrambling and fighting to contest for his seat should he choose to step away, as it seemed to be a secure seat for Umno.

However, Gua Musang only seemed to be safe for Umno due to several factors.

“Actually, no constituency is safe, unless you have people with influence, a strategy that’s acceptable and workable, and you have steady ground support to bolster your votes in the general election.

“Without that, and with no unity, I think you can never say your constituency is safe,” said Tengku Razaleigh.

One of the few members of royalty to have thrown their hats into the political arena, he is the great-grandson of Sultan Muhammad III of Kelantan and also the granduncle of the state’s current ruler, Sultan Muhammad V.

He was born on April 13, 1937 in Kota Bharu. His father Tengku Muhammad Hamzah Zainal Abidin was the last Kelantan menteri besar to be directly appointed by the state’s sultan.

Tengku Razaleigh first became an elected representative in 1969, winning the Ulu Kelantan Barat state seat. In 1974, he contested and won the Ulu Kelantan parliamentary seat, which was eventually renamed Gua Musang.

He has been the MP for the constituency for 11 terms.


1 comment:

  1. imagine a lone donkey carrying a hombre slowly walking into the sunset and all the town folks behind him going... adios amigos.. adios amigos...

    ReplyDelete