Tengku Razaleigh, Galas and the nation politics.

TR met the party President Najib in the Parliament on Monday and officially received the appointment as the Director of Galas by-election and he has accepted the heavy but manageable responsibility that comes together with the appointment. TR is supposed to give BN a thumping win which is reasonably within reach (God willing).

TR is TR. He will be focused with the responsibilities given to him and god willing his chosen candidate will be the victor. Some political pundits who called me for the past few days think that the conquering BN candidate is due to TR’s personal influence in the constituency.

BUT that has been well accepted fact and does not need repetitive reassurance. What is of huge importance to note is the merit that UMNO/BN would garner with his assuring success in this important by election. We must admit that Kelantan is an opposition based state but Gua Musang has been the only Division that UMNO has proud flag bearers.

Gua Musang could have been like any other parts of Kelantan where PAS and other opposing groups to make up their base if not because of TR’s personal political existence and is in the biggest constituency of the peninsular. In essence TR personal subsistence is the fortress and bastion for UMNO and not because of the acceptance of UMNO as a party by voters in this scantly populated district. It is the acceptance of TR in person.

In situation like what UMNO is facing today TR can be the binding factor for all warring parties and he is all above politics. With his long experience and massive contributions to the country and government he is left to be the only leader with needed attributes to unite all the diversities of races, religions and cultures that this country desires.

Politics in Malaysia is not just about winning or losing mandates. It is about viable and sustainable inter racial, inter ethnicity and getting together all human beings who live within the border of this wealthy nation in perpetuity. Politic is also about having a nation with great opportunities for everybody to earn legitimate livelihood from the abundant wealth that God have graced on us.

For all intent and purposes TR is certainly a manly leader who does not need to play racial sentiments to rally and bring togetherness among all races to be looked relevant as he’s above all that narrow-minded politics that have brought the current political despondency to prevail.

Hence the likelihood of Galas to be back to UMNO’s fold is doable and TR is delivering it without much exertion (God willing). As for the opposing PAS there are some kinds of apprehensions of them being hard against TR in the campaign trails. TR has been persistent in wanting to see PETRONAS to pay the state government the Oil Royalty that both parties has inked on the 9th of May 1975.

There some reasonable views within PAS and PR leaders and members that with the win that Galas voters are going to give to TR or his chosen candidate, it is going to be stronger probability of Kelantanese to enjoy the Oil Royalty from PETRONAS through politics. Right now the issue is in the custodian of the court and to thrash out it in the open would be sub judicial and legally inappropriate campaign strategy for both sides of the divide.

We are not insisting PAS to give free passage for TR’s chosen candidate but we will be the first to congratulate if the party does that. By doing so PAS will be respected for the matured move as it will enhance the opportunity for the state to get nearer to what the party desires (oil royalty) besides taking this opportunity for the Unity Government that the party used to talk at length.

While the Chinese are almost realizing their wish for their unity within their race by tilting towards ultimate togetherness within DAP, the Malays can take this opportunity to be in togetherness by serious understandings between PAS and UMNO through TR. There is no harm done if we are to try for unity at this point. The most important thing that matters now we Malays can exhibit our ability to unite and slowly but surely erase the image of disunited and fractious race as it has been perceived by others since for centuries.

TR is still in the best bill of health and he is always ready if needed to play vital role beyond Kelantan politics to take up the responsibility to transform political structure that this country is in dire need. He plays no role in putting up the party in this current deteriorating state.

UMNO is in desperate need of having a leader who does not have to apply strong exertion to be readily accepted by the multiracial population. UMNO is having TR to fulfill much more than the basic features and constituents of an outstanding organizer and planner and that has been a proven testimonial when he was given by the government and party before he was unceremoniously by leaders within the party for their personal quench for power.

He has numerous other exceptional and incomparable testimonials attested to him that many of the young Malaysian is not aware. He was an elected Chairman of the World Bank, IMF Chairman, Islamic Development Bank and Asian Development Bank; all at the same time. To head these 4 international financial institutions with 4 different functions experienced by TR is a world record that is personal-to-holder to him.

I wish there is somebody else in this country having that similar records to make the country proud when TR is no more living. At the moment let us all proud of those records even though some leaders with inferiority feelings tried hard to obliterate and annihilate from the knowledge Malaysian.

But all those ill efforts do not disturb TR at all as he is complete man by birth.