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."