UMNO and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah could reach a turning point this afternoon, when the Kelantan prince announces an important decision – whether he will contest the Umno presidency in party polls at the end of the month.

If Ku Li, as he is fondly known, says yes, he will make history by agreeing to the first duel for the top party post since 1987. 

But if he doesn’t, it will mean curtains on the career of the 81-year-old who has been in politics since 1962, when the young Ku Li returned from London for his father’s funeral and was persuaded by first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman to join the party and resolve membership issues in Kelantan Umno. 

Ku Li has never succeeded in his bids for the two top party posts. His attempt for the presidency was thwarted by the old Umno quota system requiring a certain number of nominations for the candidate to qualify. The party dismantled this through constitutional amendments in 2009.

Given the length and breadth of his experience, including as minister of finance and of international trade, many see Ku Li as someone who could restore Umno, which is now the Opposition for the first time after the May 9 election.

Among Umno leaders at the national and grassroots level, the view is that no one else can provide Umno with the leadership it needs to face the formidable Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the government he leads.

It is a common joke now that Malaysia is a country for old men, but the same could be true for Umno: if a nonagenarian is heading the government, who else but an octogenarian like Ku Li to lead the opposition?

To date, only two names have been filed for  the Umno president’s post – former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and entrepreneur-blogger Rahmar Azim Abdul Aziz. The second is a member of Kota Raja Umno, who is better known by his social media moniker “Mat Umno”.

Zahid, the party vice-president taking on the president’s duties after the GE14 fallout, is serious about the heavy burden of rebuilding Umno, so much so that he recently sought out the party’s former leader now turned nemesis, Dr Mahathir, for advice.

Mat Umno is viewed as a spoiler, a candidate out to reap popularity.

But though Zahid may represent stability, which the party also needs in order to rebuild, he is also seen as having lost the moral credibility to lead Umno.

There is talk of a movement to block Zahid from becoming president, and former defence minister Hishamuddin Hussein’s decision not to contest, including defend his vice-president’s seat, is seen as opening the door for divisions in Johor and other states to oppose Zahid.

Umno chatter has revealed that save for three or four divisions, most of Johor’s 26 divisions are against Zahid taking the helm. Negri Sembilan’s eight and Perlis’ three also oppose Zahid. A few divisions in the Federal Territories are also not inclined to support him.

Yet there appears to be no other credible alternative for the job.

All eyes are thus on Ku Li’s press conference this afternoon.

He recently said he had his age and health to consider, as well as his personal belief that space must be given to the younger generation of leaders in Umno.

But there is talk Ku Li and Zahid could have made a pact for one to lead the party and the other to lead the opposition in Parliament.

Such a division of labour among the top leadership does not need a constitutional amendment or reorganisation of party structure.

If it happens, it will be the first and clearest sign that Umno has embarked on the road to change. – June 16, 2018.