The last time these bitter rivals clashed, Umno was split into two and broke down as a party.
Today, the party that calls itself Umno appears irrelevant to both Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh.
To be sure, there is no love lost between these two men, but perhaps there remains affection for Umno and the man who gave them a base for their future as party titans, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.
In Dr Mahathir, Abdul Razak entrusted the young minds of the 1970s, reeling from the shock of the May 13 race riots.
In the Kelantan prince, the country’s second prime minister gave control of ‘black gold’ for a secure financial future and latitude to control a media empire to project its view of ‘development politics’.
The intervening years had been kinder to Dr Mahathir as he steadily moved up and became party president in 1981 but nearly losing the top job to Tengku Razaleigh six years later — a testimony to their love for the party that lead then then Malaya to Merdeka in August 1957.
But today, during the administration of their beloved leader’s son, Datuk Najib Razak, both Umno statesmen appear to have lost faith in their party.
Dr Mahathir is actively promoting and endorsing Perkasa, a right wing group that is still talking about defending Malay rights almost 53 years after independence and 40 years after May 13.
In some ways, he has turned the clock back to the 1960s when he was viewed as Malay nationalist/ultra and much distrusted by those chasing the idea of Malaysia. But this time, he has ditched Umno, preferring a group with a narrow world view mirroring that of his youth.
Ku Li himself is pushing for a multiracial platform, good governance and respect for the Federal Constitution and what it means in the context of a state-federal relationship.
He is arguing for a Malaysia that Tunku Abdul Rahman and his successors had fought to fashion from independence and through the communist insurgency and the dark days of May 13.
And he seeks it beyond the pale of his party, Umno.
Yet both refuse to leave Umno, perhaps out of deference to the legacy and memory of Abdul Razak’s presidency and earnestness in getting the best and brightest to vault the party and country to a better future.
But their warm embrace of ideals and like-minded people outside Umno should be a cause of concern for Najib who seeks to recapture lost support, states and federal seats from the Pakatan Rakyat.
To paraphrase most people’s first typing lesson, this is the time when all good men should come to the aid of the party, if not the country.
Both Dr Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh feel they are doing it. But not from within Umno.
Can two men who are so different in their views and wants for the party and country share the same opinion that Umno is irrelevant or incapable of bending to their will and vision? The answer appears to be yes.
MI
01/02/10
Today, the party that calls itself Umno appears irrelevant to both Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tengku Razaleigh.
To be sure, there is no love lost between these two men, but perhaps there remains affection for Umno and the man who gave them a base for their future as party titans, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.
In Dr Mahathir, Abdul Razak entrusted the young minds of the 1970s, reeling from the shock of the May 13 race riots.
In the Kelantan prince, the country’s second prime minister gave control of ‘black gold’ for a secure financial future and latitude to control a media empire to project its view of ‘development politics’.
The intervening years had been kinder to Dr Mahathir as he steadily moved up and became party president in 1981 but nearly losing the top job to Tengku Razaleigh six years later — a testimony to their love for the party that lead then then Malaya to Merdeka in August 1957.
But today, during the administration of their beloved leader’s son, Datuk Najib Razak, both Umno statesmen appear to have lost faith in their party.
Dr Mahathir is actively promoting and endorsing Perkasa, a right wing group that is still talking about defending Malay rights almost 53 years after independence and 40 years after May 13.
In some ways, he has turned the clock back to the 1960s when he was viewed as Malay nationalist/ultra and much distrusted by those chasing the idea of Malaysia. But this time, he has ditched Umno, preferring a group with a narrow world view mirroring that of his youth.
Ku Li himself is pushing for a multiracial platform, good governance and respect for the Federal Constitution and what it means in the context of a state-federal relationship.
He is arguing for a Malaysia that Tunku Abdul Rahman and his successors had fought to fashion from independence and through the communist insurgency and the dark days of May 13.
And he seeks it beyond the pale of his party, Umno.
Yet both refuse to leave Umno, perhaps out of deference to the legacy and memory of Abdul Razak’s presidency and earnestness in getting the best and brightest to vault the party and country to a better future.
But their warm embrace of ideals and like-minded people outside Umno should be a cause of concern for Najib who seeks to recapture lost support, states and federal seats from the Pakatan Rakyat.
To paraphrase most people’s first typing lesson, this is the time when all good men should come to the aid of the party, if not the country.
Both Dr Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh feel they are doing it. But not from within Umno.
Can two men who are so different in their views and wants for the party and country share the same opinion that Umno is irrelevant or incapable of bending to their will and vision? The answer appears to be yes.
MI
01/02/10
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