IS PAKATAN RAKYAT POSITIONING TENGKU RAZALEIGH HAMZAH AS THEIR FALL-BACK CANDIDATE FOR PREMIERSHIP?

Glimmer in Ku Li’s dream

Is Pakatan Rakyat positioning Umno’s Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as their fall-back candidate for premiership?

THE locals in Kota Baru are still talking about the capacity crowd that filled the stadium to hear Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah argue the case of oil royalties for Kelantan last week.

More significantly, he was speaking at a PAS ceramah and siding with the PAS administration in demanding royalty payment for the state.

The Kelantan prince (he is uncle of the Raja Perempuan of Kelantan) put Umno politicians in Kelantan in a fix because he had stepped out of line, yet, there was nothing they could do to him. He is, after all, what Kelantanese call “berdarah raja, berjiwa rakyat” (of royal blood, but in spirit with the people).

In the spotlight: Ku Li (centre) waving to the audience during the Solat Hajat and Ceramah Perdana in Sultan Muhamad 1V stadium in Kelantan.

That was a week ago.

Yesterday, Tengku Razaleigh took matters to another level when he criticised the democratic system in the country as a sham.

He said the ideals laid down by the first prime minister had been compromised by moves against the judiciary and the other democratic institutions, a jab aimed no doubt at Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

This was said at a function held at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Memorial in Kuala Lumpur.

Razaleigh, who is also Gua Musang MP, has clear and often critical opinions on issues and is unafraid to air them. He does not toe the Government line, much less the party line, on a great number of issues.

His blog, razaleigh.com, shows that his views are thoughtful and well-formed.

But as many have noticed, Razaleigh has not, until now, taken his issues to the opponents’ platform.

In fact, the Kota Baru ceramah was arguably the first time he had shared a platform with PAS since their fallout.

After Umno was banned in 1988, Razaleigh formed Semangat 46 and together with PAS, captured Kelantan. It was a short-lived political marriage. In 1996, he dissolved Semangat 46 and later returned to Umno.

Is Razaleigh about to make another major political move?

Many see his actions in the last few months as a strategic preparation for the near future.

Razaleigh, according to Pakatan Rakyat politicians, may be positioning himself to fill the vacuum if Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is convicted for sodomy.

A segment in Pakatan has quietly begun projecting Razaleigh as the fall-back candidate for prime minister should Anwar be indisposed by the time the general election is called.

Pakatan politicians still have their eyes on capturing federal power, and they cannot go into the polls without a candidate for premiership. The candidate has to be acceptable not only to the electorate but also to the two key parties, PAS and DAP.

Razaleigh, said Kota Baru MP Datuk Wan Rahim Wan Abdullah, is seen as the compromise figure.

“PAS cannot accept a DAP leader as Prime Minister and DAP cannot accept a PAS prime minister. But Tengku Razaleigh understands PAS and he is accepted by DAP and by those in East Malaysia,” said Wan Rahim.

For Razaleigh, the premiership has been akin to dreaming the impossible dream.

He narrowly lost the Umno presidency to Dr Mahathir in 1987. He then teamed up with PAS and DAP in the 1990 elections but was done in when photographs of him wearing a Kadazandusun headgear bearing what looked like a Christian crucifix cost him the Muslim vote.

He has since offered himself for nominations to the Umno president’s post twice more, but was nominated only by his own Gua Musang division on both occasions.

It has been said that among the several challengers and would-be successors to Dr Mahathir, Razaleigh was, by far, the most worthy in terms of calibre and political temperament.

But as the Malays are fond of saying, if it is meant to be yours, it will be yours.

The whole experience has made him rather bitter about Umno politics, and he has become somewhat of an outsider in the party over the years.

However, Razaleigh will be 73 in April, which may seem a rather advanced age for a post as challenging as prime minister, although his supporters point out that Dr Mahathir was still going strong when he retired at 78.

Taking on an older man (Mahathir being 11 years older) was tough. But going against someone younger and more contemporary (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is 16 years younger) may be even tougher.

The prince is, however, in the pink of health. His mind is terribly alert, he is up-to-date on issues, whether domestic or international, and he has a sparkling personality.

It is still a long shot for Tengku Razaleigh at this point in time.

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“THE MICE TO REPAIR THE GOURD, BAGAI TIKUS BAIKI LABU.”