Gua Musang Member of Parliament Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's declaration that he would remain in Umno for life should be respected, said Umno Supreme Council member Rais Yatim.

rais yatim Rais, who is Information Communication and Culture Minister, said such a stand should be adopted by every leader, especially those with wide experience who had held senior positions in the party.

"I believe Tengku Razaleigh's stand shows that democracy thrives despite someone having contradictory opinions on issues," he told reporters after a 1Malaysia gathering in Simpang Durian, Kuala Klawang, in Negeri Sembilan last night.

Rais, who is the Member of Parliament for Jelebu, was asked to comment on Razaleigh's statement yesterday that he would remain in Umno for life, thus dismissing speculation that he might join another party.

He said he hoped that Tengku Razaleigh would not make any more contradictory statements on issues and complicate the party's struggle under Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

 

"The important thing is that party members should understand that there must be strong unity within the party as a prerequisite for the nation's progress," he said.

tengku razaleigh Razaleigh had spoken against the federal government stand that the Kelantan government had no right to demand royalty for the oil extracted from the state's offshore.

Addressing the gathering earlier, Rais called on the people of all races to further strengthen unity under the 1Malaysia concept.

He handed out RM61,800 to 10 non-governmental organisations in the Jelebu parliamentary constituency. He also distributed 18 computers to village development and security committees, schools, police stations and the Jelebu District and Land Office.