Razaleigh keeps UMNO hopes alive

Razaleigh keeps UMNO hopes alive

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Malaysia's former finance minister Razaleigh Hamzah on Thursday kept alive the dwindling possibility that he will challenge either Prime Minister Mahathir or his deputy for the leadership of the country's dominant party.

Razaleigh said in a cryptic statement to the official Bernama news agency that he "cannot run away from responsibility" in Mahathir's United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which this month is nominating members for leadership posts.

UMNO, in turmoil since Mahathir sacked his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim in 1998, will elect its leaders on May 11.

UMNO's Supreme Council has recommended that Mahathir and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi be elected without opposition to the party's top two posts.

The party's president traditionally serves as prime minister, and the deputy president as deputy prime minister.

Mahathir and Abdullah have received support from the 17 UMNO divisions which have nominated candidates this month. Another 148 divisions will hold nomination meetings by April 2, leaving Razaleigh with little time.

Razaleigh is considering mounting a challenge, possibly against Abdullah, but has stopped short of openly urging divisions to defy the Supreme Council and nominate him for one of the top two positions.

The 62-year-old Razaleigh, who narrowly lost to Mahathir in the 1987 UMNO election which led to a split in the party, kept his options open in his statement to Bernama.

In an apparent reference to the Supreme Council's no-contest recommendation, he said the grass roots -- not UMNO "higher ups" -- choose the party's leaders.

"If the grass roots feel that I am not qualified or if I do not meet the criteria to lead, I am willing to remain as a gurkha (soldier)," said the prince from Kelantan's royal family.

Candidates need the support of 50 UMNO divisions to run for president and 33 to contest for deputy president.

As Mahathir's deputy, Abdullah wears the mantle as the 74-year-old leader's heir apparent. But he has never been elected UMNO deputy president as he only assumed the duties after Mahathir dismissed Anwar.

Razaleigh faced a dilemma, political sources said. His best chance would be to have the necessary number of divisions nominate him without his making a public statement that could incur the wrath of the party leadership.

But divisions were waiting for a signal from the prince.

Political sources said Razaleigh might be able to muster enough support to challenge Abdullah for the UMNO vice presidency but appeared not to have enough divisions to face Mahathir.

Razaleigh, apparently wary of directly defying party elders but unwilling to close the door on a possible challenge, said UMNO leaders traditionally have not announced their candidacy for leadership positions.

"The former leaders did not make an announcement, maybe because of the Malay culture. They were shy," he said. "A party contest is not a wrestling match to win prizes to the extent of making prior announcements."