Khairy's political fortunes have plunged; now he is fighting for votesKUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 - It would be an understatement to say Khairy Jamaluddin, the son-in-law of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, has had a rough few weeks.
His political fortunes have plummeted from dizzying heights and the unthinkable has happened. He is struggling to qualify to contest the Umno Youth presidency when, not so long ago, it would have been his for the taking.
More than half the 191 Umno divisions have met to nominate the candidates and Khairy has picked up just 36 nominations. His nemesis Mukhriz Mahathir, son of former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has sped ahead with 64 nominations.
Khairy needs another three to qualify to run for the post, and he will get them. But it is startling how fast his star has faded. "Clearly, it appears as though I am the underdog candidate. It seems that Mukhriz is the favourite candidate now. I am going to persevere," he said, without betraying any hint of anxiety.Indeed, he was surprisingly relaxed, and happy to talk about his year-old son Jibreil Ali Jamaluddin Abu Bakar whose photographs are displayed everywhere in his elegant office in the swanky Damansara Heightsneighbourhood.
He is married to Nori Abdullah, PM Abdullah's only daughter, whom he met seven years ago when they worked at a think-tank in Kuala Lumpur. They are expecting their second son in January.
Even before his marriage, Khairy had entered the innermost circle of PM Abdullah, and tales of his alleged influence, exact and exaggerated, spread far and wide. He became a caricature. Today, he is paying theprice for that reputation.
"If you look at the overall political situation now, that's one of the reasons why I find myself the underdog today," he said.
He is, of course, referring to the tidal wave of anger against his father-in-law, whom Umno blames for its poor performance at the March general election. Abdullah has decided not to contest the Umno presidency, and will retire by March next year.
"As much as I tried to divorce this entire thing from the Prime Minister, obviously that sentiment still remains. I won't say that it's a disadvantage but it's a political reality that I have to live with and overcome," said Khairy.
Saying that he has been made the "most convenient scapegoat" for the election losses, he hopes to salvage his fortunes over the next few months.
Political observers have not written him off. Khairy, 32, is among a rare breed of politicians who have a talent for clear thinking and sharp strategising. The Oxford-educated politician is acknowledged even by his critics as highly intelligent and articulate.
Further, he is young, by any measure, for the role that he aspires to. And it is not the premiership. He smiles when asked about the persistent rumour that he wants to be premier by 40.
"I've never said it, I've never written it down and, actually, I've never even thought it until somebody said it. It's just one of those things that people have ascribed to me. Of course not," he said.
Still, the Umno Youth chief is a senior-enough post, and usually comes with a senior government post. The current Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein is Education Minister.
Khairy is mindful of this and, in fact, stresses many times that the party election has implications not just for Umno, but also for the country.
He points out that while Umno Youth has 700,000 members, there are five million voters under 40. "At some stage, we are going to be a maturing democracy where party membership will be very small. And there are going to be a lot more people out there who are going to be undecided voters, party-less voters. We must change our outlook," he said.
This is why he is taking a bold, some say foolhardy, move to base his campaign on a platform of multiracialism and government reforms.
One of the biggest issues at the moment, he says, is the pro-Malay affirmative action programmes of the New Economic Policy (NEP).
"I've said from the beginning that although the NEP-type policy is still necessary, we have to reform it so that it does not enrich just a very small segment of the Malay population."
He added: "That's why young Malays run away from us today - they think the NEP is being abused. It's not a never-ending story. Some day, we have to go out on our own."
These are not traditional Umno issues. Its grassroots have little interest in national matters, and are resistant to reforms perceived as diluting Malay dominance."I've gone out on a limb to say that I'm contesting thisUmno leadership not as a Malay, but as a Malaysian. I want the Umno Youth to understand that they cannot be in isolation anymore," Khairy said.
"If we continue to be an incestuous organisation, and care only about ourselves, what change are we talking about?" he asked.
It's not typical Umno talk but it makes for astute positioning. It marks him out as more visionary than his two likely contenders for the post - Mukhriz and former Selangor mentri besar Khir Toyo. Both are alsochampioning change, but stop short of taking a multiracial line.
Khairy runs up against two obstacles: Umno's resistance and his own image as a Malay ultra.
It is an image hard to live down. Last week, a Malaysian Chinese Association Youth member demanded that Khairy be arrested under the Internal Security Act for allegedly questioning the quota of scholarshipsfor non-Malays.
Khairy has denied being racial, insisting his past comments were more nuanced than reported, and often misconstrued.
"In the context of Umno Youth, there are certain things that we do that people don't understand. It looks a bit racial. We talk about motivating the grassroots, but at no point has any of that been designed to encroach on other people's rights and their place in Malaysia. And never have I thought of saying anything that intentionally disrespected other communities."
He knows his critics will say that he has different messages for different times and different audiences. But he tells them that he is now putting his words into action and going into a Malay fight on this platform - "so that people will know that I am not a hypocrite".
It'll be hard enough to convince Malaysians, but even harder to convince Umno.
"But I have to contest on this platform. If I contest on a traditional platform, we are only kidding ourselves. Even if I don't win, I would have done nothing to try and convince Umno that we need to change," he said. "At least, I will go down trying. I don't want to go down not trying."
So far, he's struggling but hardly because of his platform. He is carrying the burden of a looming battle seen as a mini-referendum on Abdullah and a proxy fight between the Premier and Mukhriz's father, Dr Mahathir.
Observers see this as his chance to break away from his father-in-law's shadow - with all its attendant advantages and disadvantages. "Some people say it'll become easier because I don't have the stigma of thePrime Minister, some say it's more difficult. I hope that people are able to judge candidates on their merit and talent," he said.
He still defends his father-in-law though. Those who blamed Abdullah solely for the election losses were in a state of denial, he said.
But he is also looking to the future, to an Umno helmed by Deputy Premier Najib Razak by March.
"I think he will continue to bring the reforms promised to the people. And I think he is the right man for the job."
He dismissed the perception that Najib will be subservient to Dr Mahathir, now seen as having a powerful influence on him. "He's very diplomatic, very courteous, and don't mistake that for deference beyondnecessity. Don't mistake that for lack of independent judgment," Khairy said of Najib.
Despite his precarious position now, some Umno insiders believe Khairy's chances are brighter than they appear. The delegates - who could largely be his supporters - may still vote him in at the party polls.
Asked if he thinks he would be premier some day, he roared with laughter before saying: "I don't think so. Having been in politics for eight years now, even if you wanted it, it's not worth what you have to pay in terms of your personal sanity and well-being. If it ends here, then it ends here. If this is all it amounts to at the end of the day, I'm fine with that." - The Straits Times
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