Ku Li proposes direct elections for prime minister post

Malaysia should consider other systems in selecting its prime minister such as direct elections, UMNO veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said.

In a report by The Malaysian Insider, he said while the system that we inherited from the British since the country's independence might have worked at one point, changing times have made it irrelevant as Malaysians are now different.

"It is completely different. So I think we have to have a re-look at all of this and see whether or not we should have an elected prime minister, rather than someone who is pushed up by a party," he reportedly said in his key-note address at the launch of a NGO, Harmony Malaysia, in Petaling Jaya.

The Gua Musang MP, popularly known as Ku Li, reportedly said the reason why the Westminster system is not working in Malaysia was because "Malaysians have gotten lazy."

At a media conference later, Ku Li also said the resignation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will not solve anything, the news portal reported.

Commenting on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's persistent call for Najib's resignation, Ku Li said when the former stepped down from his PM post in 2003, it also didn't solve any problems.

In fact, he added, Dr Mahathir's criticism during Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration which led to the latter's resignation, had also worsened the situation.