I am so glad to hear that Ku Li will contest for the No 1 post in Umno. Even I am no longer an Umno member, it is a relieve to see Umno taking the lead to uphold true democracy.

This party election is important as to ensure that only leaders who uphold credibility, accountability, honesty and capability are appointed to the top posts.

When their the No 1 post in Umno is unchallenged through the democratic process, cronyism and favouritism in the party will thrive and the rakyat will suffer the most. Therefore, Ku Li's declaration to contest has caught the interest of the people.

The message from him is only one - to give a life to democracy in Umno which we many have acknowledged as already dead. Besides, Umno has matured and I believe healthy competition will not lead to factions.

I also believe Ku Li is sincere in his task to return democracy to Umno and party delegates should gibe him a chance.

In the past, Ku Li failed to make it to the top position in no small part due to media reports which portrayed him as a bad leader. In fact, even today, the mainstream media is not telling the truth with regards to the political history of our leaders.

One mainstream newspaper reported recently that Pak Lah and his current deputy Najib Abdul Razak were the ones who struggled to assist ex-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad to form Umno Baru after Umno was declared illegal in 1987.

The truth is it was ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and Najib who made that struggle. Pak Lah had been sidelined because of his condemnation of Anwar and Dr M. The rakyat does not forget history.

My congratulations to Ku Li and I hope Umno delegates will make a wise decision in returning Umno to a truly democratic entity.