Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is active recently. He called for a special meeting of all party branches and an extraordinary general meeting to discuss on the general election results, as well as announced that he will challenge Prime Minister cum Umno President Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi in this year's party elections. The Gua Musang MP is still in the running despite he is already 71 years old.

In his letter written to 193 Umno branches, Ku Li said if no changes are undertaken, Umno will eventually turn out as a weak and disintegrated opposition party that no longer represents the Malay community. His remarks gained him some support particularly at a moment when Umno is weak.

However, it is not under Ku Li's control whether the special meeting could be held. So far, the party's central committee and other branches did not heed his call. It is impossible for the branches to join Ku Li as they are currently still under the influence of the mainstream.

As we all know, the so-called special meeting to review the general election results called by Ku Li might turn out to be platform to fight the central committee. Thus, the special meeting would not be held easily unless the central committee could make it under their control and turn it into a platform to support Pak Lah.

This depends on politics used by both sides, and Ku Li has yet reached the level at the moment. Meanwhile, the possibility for him to defeat Abdullah in the party is quite low.

Numerous restrictions have been imposed on Umno's party elections since the era of Tun Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir amended the party constitution after he was nearly defeated by Ku Li and won with 43 majority votes in 1987.

Anyone who wishes to contest for the party's presidency must be nominated by 30% of the branches, in other words, he must be nominated by at least 60 branches. This is not easy to be achieved as most of the branches are under the control of the central committee and those minority branches that are not under the control of the central committee would not show their hand in public.

Of course, Ku Li understands that he is not able to defeat those who are currently in power with the strength of his own. Therefore, it is his strategy to gather internal and external strength to do it together.

Mahathir gave a positive signal to the special meeting but reserved his opinion on the aim of Ku Li to be the Umno president. It seems like Mahathir has his own thought and plans. The show has started. (By TAY TIAN YAN/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily)