"Kita UMNO Jerantut ada 20,000 ahli. Jika semua ahli UMNO Jerantut undi calon BN tidak ada sebab Jerantut akan akan kalah kepada Pembangkang..."
"Masalahnya ada ahli UMNO yang belot...ada oportunis yang belot tidak undi UMNO dan BN jika mereka tidak mendapat sesuatu..."
Berikut temuramah politik part 2 The Malay Mail dengan Ku Lan...
MM: What is wrong with our country apart from the politics? We're sure we rakyat have to blame ourselves …
TA: Too much politics! That’s why I’m very frustrated. Everything is politics. You can’t run a country by just politicking. It’s wrong.
Once you are a government, you are a government of the people. There’s no party there. Our PM is the PM for everyone — even the Opposition, when they see the PM they have to give him due respect because he’s the PM of the country. It doesn’t matter what your political belief is. When I go to Penang, Lim Guan Eng is the chief minister.
He is the government there. I am there as opposition. That is not the opposition government, that’s the people’s government. So we must respect the choice of the Penang people.
With you representing the royal house of Pahang, the last time the royal houses were brought into the fray of politics pre-2008 was when we headed for independence. Since the last elections, there has been an unprecedented involvement of the royal houses, especially in Selangor and Perak.
I think the rulers know their function. The rulers are the protectors of the Constitution. They should be above politics. Obviously politicians should not use the royal household for their political schemes.
I think they should be left alone. The ruler should be a unifiying figure. Through the Constitution all races are protected. The rulers are not rulers for Malays only, they rule everyone.
I hope all rulers will be like (his older brother) Tuanku Pahang who goes to the ground especially when the rakyat is facing an emergency. If all rulers can play this role, it’s very good for the country because the rakyat will see they have a last resort.
If politicians cannot solve their problems, they have their sultans. I can speak about only Pahang because I know what my brother has done. He’s the people’s ruler. He takes care of everyone, not just the Malays and Tuanku Sultan Ahmad Shah is an approachable person.
What about some politicians who alienate the royal household by disrespecting protocol?
I cannot say it’s the majority. There are bound to be a few who think otherwise or are a bit radical in their thinking or outlook on the monarchy. Whether we like it or not, we need the monarchy to unite the races.
But there are perceptions that some rulers are aligned to a certain political power. Shouldn't they be neutral?
Take Kelantan, PAS is the government, the ruler has to support the government of the people. In Pahang, BN is the government, Tuanku Pahang has to support the government of the day. If people chose otherwise, he’ll support that.
Despite your intention not to re-contest, surely Umno is trying to persuade you to stand in Jerantut. Perhaps, certain aspects of your constituency are neglected by the government because they say Jerantut is a fixed deposit because who is going to vote against the sultan’s brother because the rural folk revere the sultan?
If people think that way, that means they haven’t learned anything. You must not forget, although I’m the brother of the Sultan of Pahang, when I contest, I’m just another wakil rakyat.
But these are rural areas. Urban areas are different, if they put you in Lembah Pantai, no disrespect, but you may lose. But in your hometown, rural folk, 90 per cent Malays, definitely they’ll vote for a member of the royal house. A vote against Tengku Azlan is a vote against the sultan.
I think the people in Jerantut are wise enough to know. I don’t want them to vote me because I’m the sultan’s brother, I want them to vote me for what I’ve done. I told them, if you want me I’m around, if not, I’m out. I think the people of Jerantut should look at that. Vote for a wakil rakyat who performs.
Even if I don’t contest there, if Umno … you see we have 19,000 or 20,000 Umno members in Jerantut. If every Umno member votes for a BN candidate, there’s no way Jerantut will lose to the Opposition.
But the problem is the disloyal Umno members, they are voting against BN today and it’s happening all over the country. Umno may have enough members to get their candidates to win any particular constituency. But it’s the disloyal opportunists who don't vote for Umno when they don’t get something.
What about the loyalists who are frustrated with where Umno is heading? They vote against Umno to teach it a lesson. So Umno might go back to what it once was?
Well, if they’re not happy with the party, definitely they’re voting against Umno. If I’m dissatisfied, I’ll vote against Umno. So what? After all, Umno is just a party. But then, if you maintain quality in Umno, why would anybody want to vote for someone else?
But today, is Umno a quality party? Does Umno consist of quality leaders or members? If you look at DAP, they don’t have many members but people look at DAP as a quality party. A very well-organised party, that’s why they vote DAP, especially the Chinese.
Look at the MIC under Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam and Tun V.T. Sambanthan. MIC was solid because of the leaders. It was strong. Same with Tun Tan Siew Sin. He took care of our money as finance minister. Not just the Chinese respected him, even the Malays.
The problem is we’re not getting that kind of leaders anymore, I don’t know why.
Because Umno kills off its own leaders. They see anyone with potential, willingness to serve and (with) ambition, they kill them off.
I agree! They see someone with potential, they kill them right from the start. In the long run, Umno will lose. In life, you must have principles.
Principle also means being accountable and taking responsibility. What do you say about those who are guilty by association albeit through no fault of theirs?
I think I know who you are talking about. She made some mistakes in the sense that she responded on the wrong platform. So what she should have done is withdraw herself, temporarily and come back. One step backward to win two, three steps in the future.
And don’t say too much. In politics, politicians here like to talk when they see the microphone. There are certain things about good politics. That’s the beauty of Tun Mahathir. Sometimes he doesn’t say much or anything but he does a lot of thinking. So talk less, think more.
When you think more, you tend to get the real input in the sense of how to go about a certain issue and are able to articulate better, because your mouth is very dangerous and can turn against you because you’re talking without thinking. Emotions are the same. So always think before you want to react to a certain issue.
Ku Lan rajin membaca blog-blog politik Jerantut untuk mengetahui isu-isu terkini politik Jerantut terutama pandangan dan suara orang muda Jerantut.
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