YOURSAY | ‘He will also face the ROS roadblock like Pejuang and Muda…’

COMMENT | What is KJ waiting for?

Milshah: Malaysiakini columnist Mariam Mokhtar made a good attempt of describing how a new Malaysia should be, like many other political strategists and commentators.

She suggested for Umno’s Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin to form a multiracial party of his own. However, the party will lose big in the elections for it does not have support in the rural areas.

This is the same problem faced by multiracial parties like DAP and PKR, and they have been in politics longer. The urban areas are already controlled by DAP and PKR.

So Khairy’s hypothetical party will actually be fighting against DAP and PKR for the smaller number of seats in urban areas. Real politics trumps idealistic politics every time.

OrangePony5652: We all know starting a new political party is not an easy feat. Getting enough members to make it relevant is one thing and having it registered is another.

The woes of Parti Pejuang Tanahair and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) in registering their parties came to a dead end with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) nonchalantly blocking them.

Khairy is too smart to willingly go through this difficult process. He will remain in Umno Baru, or Umno Terkini, for now.

OrangePanther1466: Mariam, I often agree with your views but in this instance, Khairy starting a new party is a non-starter. Umno’s extensive party network is almost impossible to replicate.

I suspect that's the real reason why many disillusioned leaders have not abandoned the party and decided to fight from within.

Umno's wealth amassed over the years is also another incentive for them to stay. For the very same reasons, the Umno supreme council slots are highly coveted while the presidency is the mother lode.

YellowKoala7998: I still cannot see any capable persons in Umno Baru or ‘lama’ or any splinter group coming up. To me, it's still from the same pond, or ponds, that they used to jump around - from A to B, to C, and then back to A.

As long as the issue of Malay supremacy is ingrained into their minds, nothing will ever change. They have no multicultural or multiracial sentiments to show to the new ‘social media’ generation.

Anonymous_47029368: Actually, whether a party is multiracial or not is not that much of a matter. What is much more important is that it must put the interest of the country first and follow the letter and spirit of the Federal Constitution in protecting the rights of the minorities.

I believe Umno was rejected by the people in the 14th general election not because it is not multiracial but because they put their party first, ignoring the huge damage done to the country because of the 1MDB scandal.

Kutan: Electing Umno’s president is not up to the Malaysian voters. So, Khairy may have support among the general public, but when it comes to the party election, the grassroots and their division heads will elect someone who furthers their interests, mostly involving money and power.

That is why a prime minister like the one we had before could stay on in that position for so long - because he was elected president of the party.

Manjit Bhatia: I know it's so easy to pick a less-rotten apple from a bucket of totally rotten ones, but suggesting Khairy is the best of the crop would be a mistake.

He is a ‘shadow man’. He knows how to play the game. He knows when to be a populist, and a crude one at that, when required.

You're right, Mariam. What would Khairy be were it not for the Covid-19 pandemic? He'd be counting what he made from his days under his father-in-law and ex-prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Why has the RM100 million that vanished from his sports ministry been swept under the carpet? Why was Khairy reluctant to condemn ex-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad for fathering manic corruption in Malaysia, his cronies, the multiple scandals under his 22-year rule, his trenchant racist streak and anti-Semitism?

Why was Khairy loath to condemn ex-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, now a convicted criminal but who still walks free, is still treated like a VIP, is still moving around with a police escort, still acting as though he had not been dethroned?

Why? We know why. We know how Malay power structures work within the Malay state, how it feeds itself, and how Khairy works it to his advantage, politically and personally.

Call a spade a spade, but in his case, a spade is in fact a shovel. I, personally, wouldn't praise any political cretin from any of the parties.

No Fear Nor Favour: Mariam, there are many Oxford degree-holders floating in the market. It’s integrity, righteousness, dignity, and wisdom that the rakyat want. Not a tainted politician who shows off and likes to hog the limelight.

We have much better candidates. Former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli for example, a seasoned campaigner tested and endured through thick and thin in his cause to fight against corruption, for justice, and for the well-being of the rakyat. His intellectual credentials far exceeded that of the Oxford graduate.

Prominority: Yes, I would at any time bet on the more sensible and scandal-free Rafizi. He is a grassroots person, unlike Khairy who got into the upper echelon by virtue of his father-in-law.

Khairy has too much baggage to discard to come clean. An Oxford graduate doesn't mean he is the most suitable leader. During his hey-days, he acted arrogantly because he thought his father-in-law would be there forever to prop him up.

Jaycee: Because he did not call out the former prime minister for the 1MDB fiasco, it demonstrates to us that Khairy, like the others, is not sincere and does not have integrity to be a leader. Do they not teach integrity at Oxford?

In addition, the rakyat is still waiting for Khairy’s explanation of the millions lost when he was the sports minister. He should have said “the buck stops here”, not pled ignorance.

Because of that, the rakyat lost another RM100 million with no one held accountable or punished for it and it is business as usual.

Since then, with the same group of people in the government and the same modus operandi of running the nation’s coffers, billions of taxpayers’ money was looted as a result of these greedy people.

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