Tengku Razaleigh going for UMNO's Presidency...............

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said on Saturday he would contest the leadership of Malaysia's ruling party, criticising a planned transition of power as 'extra constitutional'.

The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the biggest party in the coalition that has ruled Malaysia for 51 years, agreed on Friday to delay to March from December a leadership vote that could have seen Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi defeated.

The move is likely to accelerate Mr Abdullah's departure from office, although he declined to say whether he would quit on that date or run in the party poll. The premier had already said he would quit before the next election, which must be held by 2013, saying he would cede power to his deputy Najib Razak in 2010.

'I reject the transfer of power and transition plan, simply because it is extra constitutional,' Tengku Razaleigh told a news conference.

He said he was hoping to contest the election for UMNO presidency by getting the required nominations. 'I am going out determined to get the nominations required,' he said.

Under UMNO rules, a member must garner 30 per cent of total nominations to be eligible to run for the party presidency.

'The country is facing massive economic problems. The economy is messy, there is capital flight, no new investments and rising unemployment,' said Tengku Razaleigh.

'We should look into these problems, and settle the leadership problem once and for all in accordance with the constitution,' he said.

UMNO and the Barisan Nasional coalition it heads are for the first time facing the prospect of losing power to a re-energised opposition alliance led by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

Mr Abdullah has come under increasing pressure to quit since Barisan stumbled to its worst election result in March this year when it lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority. -- Reuters

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Ku Li asked "Why are we dilly-dallying?".

Ku Li has offered himself to be a candidate for the Umno presidency. He said he was confident of securing enough nominations from the divisions to be able to contest the top party post.

"That's why I am offering myself," he said.

'I'm praying very hard I'll get 140. Then there'll be no opposition," he quipped.

Way to go Ku Li. But I am still wondering whether he can garner enough nomination? Ground reports states that if Ku Li can get 10 nomination is considered very good enough. Ku Li might be popular with the grassroots members but they dont determine whether he will be nominated by their divisions, coz most division leaders practise patronage politics. These warlords are practically aligned to those in power.

For now all eyes are on Najib and these divisional warlords has a lot to gain by supporting Najib rather than Ku Li. These warlords are so powerful that even Mahathir couldnt gather enough votes to be his division representative for the UMNO's AGM last year.

There is no way Ku Li can make it to the top of UMNO's hierarchy. Ku Li is getting old and a defeat in this UMNO's presidential election spells doom to his political career. Ku Li left UMNO once and returned later but with little luck, just as an ordinary backbencher without any role to play in the gomen.

The only way Ku Li can play an active role is to support the opposition in forming an alternative gomen and send these UMNO's "childish" suckers of 'Republic Pisang' to hell...........

cheers.