Ku Li: I don’t want to be PM

(MMO) – Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said he has no designs on the prime minister’s post as he believes he is “too old” for the job.

He added although he previously had the “opportunity”, being the most senior Umno member, he had instead made way for former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“No, I have been in Umno way too long and I am too old to become the prime minister. I contested in the last election not to go after the prime minister position.

“I had the opportunity before. I was the most senior in the party, but I made way for him (Dr Mahathir),” he said in an interview with Malay daily Berita Harian today.

He added that he was “happy” with the way things were now, even without his wife by his side.

Tengku Razaleigh was recently accused by Dr Mahathir of being part of an attempt among Umno members to seek support for a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the Dewan Rakyat.

Shortly after the claim, DAP’s Liew Chin Tong posted on Facebook a copy of an unsigned statutory declaration (SD) that expressed loss of confidence in Najib and his Cabinet, and endorsed Tengku Razaleigh as the next prime minister.

However, the Kelantan prince, also known as Ku Li, has since denied knowledge of the SD as well as lobbying politicians to make him the new head of state.

Ku Li gunned for the Umno presidency seat in the past by challenging Dr Mahathir back in the 1980s.

He lost and later formed a splinter party called Semangat 46, which eventually disbanded in 1996 after faring poorly in elections, and returned to Umno after that.