GEORGE TOWN – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is the missing link in cementing genuine unity among Malay political parties, said Umno veteran Tan Sri Yussuf Latiff.
He told The Vibes that Dr Mahathir can be the catalyst to revive unity among Malay parties, similar to how he engineered the return of the now-defunct Semangat 46 into the Umno fold.
Present Malay parties are originally part of Umno before rifts prompted their split from the biggest Malay party, which still has some 1.5 million members.
Yussuf has urged Umno advisory board chairman Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, popularly known as Ku Li, to lead a delegation to invite Dr Mahathir to return to Umno.
This comes after the former prime minister was quoted as saying that he doesn’t mind returning to Umno if the party reverted to its original struggle.
Yussuf said Umno should welcome Dr Mahathir’s statement, and return to fighting for race, country and religion.
He added that Ku Li still remains as one of Umno’s most-respected leaders, so he should take the lead to reach out to Dr Mahathir.
“Dr Mahathir should return to Umno to appreciate the struggle of past leaders, such as Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, Tun Hussein Onn and Datuk Onn Jaafar.”
Earlier, former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim had said although Umno has lost its way, the party is far from irrelevant.
“Political stability will remain elusive as long as Umno, as the country’s largest Malay party, does not assume its original role.” – The Vibes, February 19, 2021
