He was the ‘the man behind the PM’ who many say wants to be PM. His star fell with his patron Pak Lah’s exit. But he is not going quietly.Hazlan Zakaria 20 JULY 2009
Caesar is famous for the quote ‘Veni, Vedi, Vici’. I came, I saw, I conquered. Khairy Jamaluddin is famous for “I am, the PM’s, Son-in-law.” Caesar is known for being assassinated because he wants to become King. Khairy, the man ‘behind the king’.
But for now, as far as honesty in politics goes, Khairy Jamaludin is probably one of the most honest politicians at the moment. At least when he is telling anyone that will listen, that he is now no longer the Prime Minister’s son-in-law. All that Khairy Jamaludin has now is Khairy Jamaludin. That is something that we can believe in. Though, whether it is a change for the better or not is a matter of conjecture.
For one, he has lost his 15 minutes of fame with the media. When once his every step and sneeze is dogged, he is now getting less airtime and print inches than even Tun Mahathir. The once ‘pariah’ of the media during Tun Abdullah’s Administration, Tun Mahathir is now back on the media centre stage. Khairy himself admitted in an interview by Sinchew that “the media is no longer interested in me.”
Khairy has even been spotted walking alone from parliament chambers and sitting by himself in the MP’s lounge. He cuts quite the figure of the lonely parliamentarian, when once his mere presence would command an entourage. No more staffers or ‘Oxbridge’ old boys following his coat tails.
We can also imagine that he now no longer has the reach and influence within the business world and with the procurement of government contracts. Something he has been alleged to wield during his ‘fourth floor’ days.
Khairy who once wielded ‘power’ indirectly – by virtue of the trust that his father in law put in him – now needs a new agenda to further his much talked about ambitions. Either to rise further up into power – or if what he says is to be believed – to serve the people.
But the public he claims to serve has lost all mind of Khairy, despite their once fascination with him. The Public’s love-hate relationship with this once blue eyed boy wonder has come to an end… for now. No Pak Lah also means no influence for him to wield. No reason for the public to watch or complain about him.
He is no longer the ‘gatekeeper’ to the most powerful man in Malaysia – the office of PM anyway, if not the holder of the office. He was the person we love to hate, but one that we all wanted to read or hear about. No matter what many thought of him, he did embody some qualities that we admire. He was the upstart commoner who married into ‘royalty’ and worked his way up to the top.
It was his perceived overbearing and allegedly arrogant attitude that many find distasteful. For as the saying, goes, the road to the top is sometimes lined with the heads of others you step upon. In Khairy’s case this is apparently in the literal as well as figurative. More than one contractor who vies for government contracts was heard to bemoan about Khairy allegedly stepping upon their lifeline.
His fall from grace was triggered by Tun Abdullah’s resignation as Prime Minister. Like a wagon hitched to a rising star, when the star falls, the wagon follows suit. But with the same cunning that saw his meteoric rise in UMNO and into Tun Abdullah’s ‘fourth floor’, Khairy hits the ground running – or is trying to at least.
His first act was to distance himself completely from the former Abdulah Administration. Cutting himself off from Pak Lah’s signature Islam Hadhari and Malay centric policies and looking towards a multiracial approach of a Malaysia for Malaysians.
Tapping perhaps, into the ‘liberalised’ mental attitude of a Malaysia tired of sectarian and racial politics. Although, he is careful to stay within UMNO’s delineated boundary – his power base as it were. He is saying that only a strong UMNO can serve both the Malays and the greater ‘bangsa’ Malaysia.
His next act was to mitigate and correct public perception of his ‘arrogance.’ He is changing his entire being and personal approach to the world in one quick about turn. He is eating ‘humble pie’ and saying to all that he can, how he really is a ‘shy’ and ‘awkward’ person. As he mentioned to Sinchew, he is a ‘strange politician’ unsuited to the game of popular politics.
Although some would say that the ‘humbling’ of Khairy is not by effort but by default as he finds himself out on a limb. Many questions the audacity of a man who opened a boutique named ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’, keeping in mind his set of circumstances.
Khairy’s next move was to hitch himself to another vehicle to advance his future. His vehicle to power post Pak Lah is UMNO Youth. A vehicle that many say he hijacked from Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir.
Political observers and pundits speculate that Khairy’s ascension to UMNO Youth Chief was the price Najib had to pay for Pak Lah’s meek step down from power. It is alleged to be the last back room deal that Khairy managed to wrangle out of his father in law.
Now Khairy is running UMNO Youth like his own personal fiefdom. Anchoring his strongest supporters into key positions and digging in for the long haul. It seems that UMNO Youth is now ‘Fortress Khairy’, just like the ‘fourth floor’ was then.
To be fair, as purported by an article “Khairy Lands on His Feet” in the Star, Khairy seems to be injecting life into UMNO Youth by galvanizing the wing with many new programs both to build up the movement as well as to widen its reach amongst the youth.
However, some would question if these are merely an extension of the secretariats set up by the movement’s out going Chief Datuk Hishammudin Tun Hussein. The same agenda with another name that some people are alleging Najib’s 1Malaysia is. A case of “Lembu punya susu Sapi dapat nama.” An old analogy of how someone is taking credit for another’s work.
Last but not least, Khairy is slowly working his way back to being a newsmaker, going where the media is to get his time in the media sun. He was in Manik Urai, he commented loudly upon the PAS unity issue and now he is vocal about saying that ‘Al-Islam is un-islamic.’ In relation to the story of the journalists who went undercover to a church and brought out and photographed the wafer representing the ‘host’, to the ire of Catholics.
For sure we are not going to hear the last of Khairy Jamaluddin, no matter how ‘shy’ he is. As has been observed here, it seems he is already plotting the road map of his ascension post Pak Lah. Whether or not this is going to be good for Malaysia or not is still up to conjecture. However he will be the one to watch, media ‘blackout’ or no. We can only hope that he has learnt his lesson and play a more acceptable role in serving the people – as he is alleging to do. Or if he is truly a misunderstood individual and sabotaged by wrongful perception, this is a chance for him to prove himself.
Caesar is famous for the quote ‘Veni, Vedi, Vici’. I came, I saw, I conquered. Khairy Jamaluddin is famous for “I am, the PM’s, Son-in-law.” Caesar is known for being assassinated because he wants to become King. Khairy, the man ‘behind the king’.
But for now, as far as honesty in politics goes, Khairy Jamaludin is probably one of the most honest politicians at the moment. At least when he is telling anyone that will listen, that he is now no longer the Prime Minister’s son-in-law. All that Khairy Jamaludin has now is Khairy Jamaludin. That is something that we can believe in. Though, whether it is a change for the better or not is a matter of conjecture.
For one, he has lost his 15 minutes of fame with the media. When once his every step and sneeze is dogged, he is now getting less airtime and print inches than even Tun Mahathir. The once ‘pariah’ of the media during Tun Abdullah’s Administration, Tun Mahathir is now back on the media centre stage. Khairy himself admitted in an interview by Sinchew that “the media is no longer interested in me.”
Khairy has even been spotted walking alone from parliament chambers and sitting by himself in the MP’s lounge. He cuts quite the figure of the lonely parliamentarian, when once his mere presence would command an entourage. No more staffers or ‘Oxbridge’ old boys following his coat tails.
We can also imagine that he now no longer has the reach and influence within the business world and with the procurement of government contracts. Something he has been alleged to wield during his ‘fourth floor’ days.
Khairy who once wielded ‘power’ indirectly – by virtue of the trust that his father in law put in him – now needs a new agenda to further his much talked about ambitions. Either to rise further up into power – or if what he says is to be believed – to serve the people.
But the public he claims to serve has lost all mind of Khairy, despite their once fascination with him. The Public’s love-hate relationship with this once blue eyed boy wonder has come to an end… for now. No Pak Lah also means no influence for him to wield. No reason for the public to watch or complain about him.
He is no longer the ‘gatekeeper’ to the most powerful man in Malaysia – the office of PM anyway, if not the holder of the office. He was the person we love to hate, but one that we all wanted to read or hear about. No matter what many thought of him, he did embody some qualities that we admire. He was the upstart commoner who married into ‘royalty’ and worked his way up to the top.
It was his perceived overbearing and allegedly arrogant attitude that many find distasteful. For as the saying, goes, the road to the top is sometimes lined with the heads of others you step upon. In Khairy’s case this is apparently in the literal as well as figurative. More than one contractor who vies for government contracts was heard to bemoan about Khairy allegedly stepping upon their lifeline.
His fall from grace was triggered by Tun Abdullah’s resignation as Prime Minister. Like a wagon hitched to a rising star, when the star falls, the wagon follows suit. But with the same cunning that saw his meteoric rise in UMNO and into Tun Abdullah’s ‘fourth floor’, Khairy hits the ground running – or is trying to at least.
His first act was to distance himself completely from the former Abdulah Administration. Cutting himself off from Pak Lah’s signature Islam Hadhari and Malay centric policies and looking towards a multiracial approach of a Malaysia for Malaysians.
Tapping perhaps, into the ‘liberalised’ mental attitude of a Malaysia tired of sectarian and racial politics. Although, he is careful to stay within UMNO’s delineated boundary – his power base as it were. He is saying that only a strong UMNO can serve both the Malays and the greater ‘bangsa’ Malaysia.
His next act was to mitigate and correct public perception of his ‘arrogance.’ He is changing his entire being and personal approach to the world in one quick about turn. He is eating ‘humble pie’ and saying to all that he can, how he really is a ‘shy’ and ‘awkward’ person. As he mentioned to Sinchew, he is a ‘strange politician’ unsuited to the game of popular politics.
Although some would say that the ‘humbling’ of Khairy is not by effort but by default as he finds himself out on a limb. Many questions the audacity of a man who opened a boutique named ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’, keeping in mind his set of circumstances.
Khairy’s next move was to hitch himself to another vehicle to advance his future. His vehicle to power post Pak Lah is UMNO Youth. A vehicle that many say he hijacked from Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir.
Political observers and pundits speculate that Khairy’s ascension to UMNO Youth Chief was the price Najib had to pay for Pak Lah’s meek step down from power. It is alleged to be the last back room deal that Khairy managed to wrangle out of his father in law.
Now Khairy is running UMNO Youth like his own personal fiefdom. Anchoring his strongest supporters into key positions and digging in for the long haul. It seems that UMNO Youth is now ‘Fortress Khairy’, just like the ‘fourth floor’ was then.
To be fair, as purported by an article “Khairy Lands on His Feet” in the Star, Khairy seems to be injecting life into UMNO Youth by galvanizing the wing with many new programs both to build up the movement as well as to widen its reach amongst the youth.
However, some would question if these are merely an extension of the secretariats set up by the movement’s out going Chief Datuk Hishammudin Tun Hussein. The same agenda with another name that some people are alleging Najib’s 1Malaysia is. A case of “Lembu punya susu Sapi dapat nama.” An old analogy of how someone is taking credit for another’s work.
Last but not least, Khairy is slowly working his way back to being a newsmaker, going where the media is to get his time in the media sun. He was in Manik Urai, he commented loudly upon the PAS unity issue and now he is vocal about saying that ‘Al-Islam is un-islamic.’ In relation to the story of the journalists who went undercover to a church and brought out and photographed the wafer representing the ‘host’, to the ire of Catholics.
For sure we are not going to hear the last of Khairy Jamaluddin, no matter how ‘shy’ he is. As has been observed here, it seems he is already plotting the road map of his ascension post Pak Lah. Whether or not this is going to be good for Malaysia or not is still up to conjecture. However he will be the one to watch, media ‘blackout’ or no. We can only hope that he has learnt his lesson and play a more acceptable role in serving the people – as he is alleging to do. Or if he is truly a misunderstood individual and sabotaged by wrongful perception, this is a chance for him to prove himself.
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