Razaleigh ends rivalry with PM Mahathir<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysian opposition strongman Tengku
\nRazaleigh Hamzah said yesterday he was ready to return to Prime
\nMinister Mahathir Mohamad's party, ending nine years of bitter
\npolitical rivalry between the two.<\/p>\n
"Malay unity would not be complete if all Malay factions in
\nthe country don't unite," Razaleigh told reporters after
\nannouncing that his Spirit of '46 party was willing to merge with
\nMahathir's United Malays National Organization (UMNO).<\/p>\n
"I'd also like to make it clear that we did not ask for
\nanything in return for this reunification bid," added Razaleigh,
\na former finance minister in Mahathir's cabinet.<\/p>\n
UMNO, the lynchpin of Malaysia's ruling National Front
\ncoalition, celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend and
\nspeculation had been rife that Razaleigh would rejoin the party.<\/p>\n
Mahathir told reporters on Wednesday that Razaleigh, in a
\nmeeting with him, expressed a desire to return to UMNO's fold at
\nsome point in the future.<\/p>\n
Razaleigh confirmed Mahathir's statement, made late Wednesday,
\nthat he was rejoining the party he left nine years ago but said
\nhe would only do so "en bloc" with the rest of his Spirit 46
\nsplinter party.<\/p>\n
"It's not Tengku (Prince) Razaleigh who is important. We need
\nto take all members of 46 to join," he told a press conference at
\nhis house here.<\/p>\n
But the former finance minister laughed off talk that he was
\nbeing brought back by Mahathir to keep Mahathir's deputy Anwar
\nIbrahim in line.<\/p>\n
"I'm a simple little chap," Razaleigh said.<\/p>\n
"I am not going in for anything," he added, stressing that
\nSemangat had "not asked for anything" in return for joining UMNO.<\/p>\n
Razaleigh left UMNO in 1987 to form the opposition party after
\na bruising bid to oust Mahathir as UMNO president -- a post that
\ntraditionally allows its holder to become premier.<\/p>\n
He has since been a constant critic of Mahathir's government,
\nalleging widespread corruption, and in 1990 formed an alliance
\nwith opposition Parti Islam to wrest northeastern Kelantan state
\nfrom UMNO control.<\/p>\n
Razaleigh's return follows the break-up of his party's ties
\nwith PAS in the sole opposition state. He could potentially bring
\nwith him 400,000 Semangat members to bolster UMNO's 2.4 million.<\/p>\n
Razaleigh brushed off suggestions that his and Mahathir's
\ntroubled past would impede cooperation.<\/p>\n
"I never had any differences with Dr. Mahathir," he said. He
\nsaid he had only disagreed with Mahathir's policies.<\/p>\n
Deputy Premier Anwar said earlier yesterday he did not feel
\nthreatened by Mahathir's move to bring Razaleigh back, dismissing
\ntalk that Razaleigh's presence would check his influence.<\/p>\n
"I wouldn't want to sound over-confident but I think that
\n(position in UMNO) is certainly not the issue," Anwar told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
"The principle that we have upheld so far is to welcome
\neverybody into the party," he added.<\/p>\n
Anwar, whose supporters have been reported in recent months as
\nanxious for their patron to take over from Mahathir quickly, said
\nhe supported the move by Razaleigh to rejoin UMNO "as long as it
\ndoes not create a faction within the party."<\/p>\n
Razaleigh later responded to Anwar's comment, alluding to
\nalready present factions. "We all pray for that," he said, "that
\nfactions that exist in UMNO today will also not exist."<\/p>\n
Analysts said Razaleigh's return could affect the political
\ninfluence of Anwar, whose supporters have made no secret their
\ndesire to have their 47-year-old patron replace the 72-year-old
\npremier.<\/p>\n
The party has already given its blessing for Mahathir and
\nAnwar to be returned unopposed as president and deputy president
\nrespectively in the party's triennial polls in October.<\/p>\n
UMNO is the backbone of the ruling 14-member National Front
\ncoalition. The party has ruled the country since independence in
\n1957 and holds its 50th anniversary tomorrow.<\/p>",
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