Khairy Qualifies To Contest UMNO Youth Chief Post

Khairy Jamaluddin has finally made it to the starting grid in his bid to become the next Umno Youth chief. He obtained the 39th nomination necessary from the Tangga Batu division today. He still trails Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir in the number of nominations received so far.

KUALA LUMPUR: It’s official. Khairy Jamaluddin can now take on Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir for the Umno youth chief post.

Khairy, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s son-in-law, secured his 38th, 39th, and 40th nominations from the Tawau, Tangga Batu and Gua Musang divisions.

On hearing the news, Khairy said that he was “pleased to have qualified given the level of scrutiny I have had to go through, from the time I entered the political arena in 1999.”

“I shall subject myself now to an even more intense screening not just by delegates to the Pemuda UMNO General Assembly but all Malaysians who have encountered a range of stories, good and bad, about me.

“I accept that the onus is on me to explain my convictions and reasons for offering myself as a prospective leader,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mukhriz, the son of former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is still in the lead with 64 nominations, well over the crucial 39 needed.

The third contender Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo has yet to make it with only 30 nominations.

His earlier nomination from Gua Musang was nullified and in a new meeting convened on Saturday, the nomination was given to Khairy instead.

The 191 divisions have until Nov 9 to hold their meetings and offer their nominations ahead of party polls in March.

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Khairy is now underdog in Umno Youth race

Khairy Jama­luddin is within a whisker of qualifying to contest the Umno Youth chief post. He has amassed 36 nominations, just three shy of hitting the mark to be eligible to contest in the March party elections.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 – With only two weeks left to the end of Umno divisional delegates meetings, Umno Youth deputy chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, with only 33 nominations, remains the underdog for the contest to lead the wing, trailing far behind Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, who has received 60 nominations, while Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo, received 26.

Mukhriz obtained the minimum 38 nominations required to contest for the post on Oct 12, just three days after the start of divisional meetings, while Khairy is still struggling to get the 20% nominations.

Some observers blamed it on the decision by Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi not to defend the party presidency. At the same time, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had also urged Umno members to get rid of Abdullah’s men in the new administration.

The Rembau MP even failed to get a nomination from Putrajaya Umno, a division perceived to be inclined towards him as the Youth chief, Datuk Zaki Zahid is also a special officer to the Prime Minister.

He obtained only 22 votes, while Mukhriz got 33 and Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo, 22. A total of 90 delegates attended the meeting on Saturday afternoon that lasted for more than six hours.

However, Zaki retained his position, beating former Putrajaya Umno Youth exco member Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz, by merely three votes. Some delegates had predicted that Zaki would be another casualty in the uprising against Abdullah and his men.

Zaki was laughing when asked to interpret the voting trend, but admitted he would prefer someone else to be nominated for the Umno Youth chief post.

“I wish him congratulations; I was there when he came on Thursday, he was welcomed here in Putrajaya, although my personal preference is different, but we abide by the choice made by the delegates here,” said Zaki.

But for Tun Faisal, who is also a special officer to Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Husein, the signal for change from the delegates was very clear. He agreed that he did not totally lose the fight, as the division had nominated Mukhriz.

Newly elected Putrajaya Umno Youth deputy chief, Hishamuddin Yahya however was a little shocked by the nomination but not surprised with Zaki’s victory.

He added that less than 48 hours before the start of the meeting the fight for nomination was between Khir and Mukhriz.

“All three candidates were here to meet the delegates, Khairy came on the last day, the delegates have already decided to choose either Khir Toyo or Datuk Mukhriz,” said Hishamuddin, who initially thought Khir would be nominated by the division.

“Maybe the delegates were more impressed with Mukhriz’s campaign work,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

He said that Zaki’s victory shows that leaders linked to Abdullah are not rejected by the party grass roots.

“It is not right to reject someone just because he is connected to the Prime Minister, every leader must be judged individually, it is unfair, just because the Prime Minister is retiring. And Zaki is an active Youth leader, so he was judged based on his performance,” said Hishamuddin.

Khairy wants end to right wing Umno politics

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 - Umno Youth Chief contender Khairy Jamaluddin said the party can no longer continue with right-wing politics.

"If you continue with right wing politics and try to convince people this is the way forward then I think you have been left behind," he told The Malaysian Insider recently.

Khairy, who is trailing behind Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir in the nominations race so far, had in recent years positioned himself as a somewhat typical Umno Youth-type firebrand politician who frequently championed the need for a continuation of affirmative action.

But in launching his bid for the Umno Youth Chief's post, he has now turned to the platform of running as a "Malaysian," as opposed to that of"Malay."

He acknowledged the big risk he was taking in trying to push some form of reform agenda for Umno.

"Before this we have been an incestuous organisation. We only mingled among ourselves. Now is the time to reach out.

"There are many out there who are not members of Umno, MCA or MIC Youth. If we don't get them, the opposition is going to get them," said Khairy, when met in Kuala Lumpur recently.

"I have looked at what have happened over the last three to four years and I realized that we have made some strategic errors.

"When I searched my soul after the last general election for a platform that is not only popular but is right, I found this is the platform that is right. And I am willing to risk the Umno youth contest in taking up this platform.

So far, his rival Mukhriz has the edge in the contest for nominations.

And while Khairy talks about ideas and reform, the contest is also fast turning into a battle of personalities in a proxy fight between his father-in-law Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the father of Mukhriz.

At the Besut Umno Youth meeting yesterday, Khairy only obtained seven votes while Mukhriz garnered 200 votes. Even Dr Khir, who is not a favourite in the contest, managed to grab more votes than Khairy. The former Selangor Menteri Besar received 15 votes.

The Besut Umno Youth results appear to suggest there are still many in the party's grassroots who see the contest as one between personalities.

"It is not that Besut doesn't like Khairy, but Mukhriz came to meet the divisional leaders recently," said the newly elected Besut Umno Youth chief, Mahdi Musa.

Mahdi's deputy, Kamarulzaman Idris, was explicit in rejecting Khairy's campaign platform, saying it is not important whether he is standing as a Malay or Malaysian.

"What matters now is for the Umno leadership to convince the Malays and others to have faith in the government and ensure the stability of the country," he told The Malaysian Insider.

Kamarulzaman, who was also newly elected, agrees with his boss that the fact that Mukhriz was here before the meeting helped him in securing the nomination.

"Mukhriz's name was proposed by someone on the stage, while Khairy was proposed by one of the delegates, so the delegates naturally elected the person favoured by the leaders. To get more votes, Khairy's name should have been proposed by one of the Besut Youth leaders," said Kamarulzaman.

Khairy camp cries foul over Kimanis nomination

(Malaysiakini) Supporters of Umno Youth chief aspirant Khairy Jamaluddin are crying foul over the outcome of the Kimanis, Sabah, division meeting yesterday, where rival Mukhriz Mahathir won his first nomination for the wing's topmost post.

A Khairy supporter told Malaysiakini that between 45 to 50 supporters were barred from returning to the Membakut Community Hall near Papar, where the meeting to nominate the Youth top posts was being held.

The group had taken a break from the 12-hour long meeting to go for their Maghrib prayers. But when they returned, they were not allowed to re-enter the hall.

An election by a show of hands later took place, with Mukhriz capturing 51 votes and Khairy pulling 31.

“All the candidates want to see a respectable, democratic and friendly contest, which is why we hope Kimanis will be an isolated event. So far, it has been the only sad episode,” the supporter said.

“After all, our biggest concern is the next general election where Umno must convince young Malaysians to back Barisan Nasional, not fighting among ourselves.”

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Khairy: I’m contesting on my own merit

REMBAU, Oct 5 - Umno Youth vice-head Khairy Jamaluddin said he is vying for the post of Youth chief on his own merit without influence or help from other factors.

The Rembau Member of Parliament hoped that the delegates and Umno Youth members would evaluate his candidacy on his personal credibility and strength.

“I hope whatever decision made by the party leadership (president and deputy president) will not influence the vote of the members,” he said at his Hari Raya Open House at the Kampong Gadong Community Hall, Kota, near here today.

He said this when asked about his position as a candidate for the Umno Youth top post if party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi were to announce that he would not be seeking re-election.

“The Umno Youth members must choose for the future of the young people in the party. My decision won’t change no matter what the president decides.

“I never served as the son-in-law of the president or prime minister during my tenure as Umno Youth deputy chief.

"I got down to the ground, I became director of the by-election machinery... I conducted programmes and various others things on my own initiative and this will not change whether Pak Lah or Datuk Seri Najib is the president. I will continue with my work as a leader of the young generation in Umno,” he said.

Commenting on the proposal to turn BN into a single party, Khairy said it had its advantages in attracting the interest of every strata of the society to join the party.

He said the political reality currently was that it would be difficult to unite the BN component parties into one single party because there were still issues that were based on race that had yet to be resolved.

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I'm being sabotaged, says Khairy

(Malaysiakini) Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin believes that he is being sabotaged by certain quarters who are preventing party members from meeting him.

The Rembau parliamentarian, who has expressed his desire to contest for the Umno Youth chief post, claims he has proof of this.

khairy jamaluddinAccording to him, at certain functions which he attended, there were those who had asked Umno members not to attend.

"I have proof that there are those trying to stop Umno members from getting to know their leaders," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

"For me, all party members have the right to get to know their leaders and approach me, so there is no need for such preventions," he added.

Responding to Mukhriz

Khairy, who is also the son-in-law of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was commenting on the statement made by Jerlun MP Mukhriz Mahathir who is also vying for the Umno Youth chief post.

Mukhriz, the son of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, had called for an immediate stop to the attempts of preventing party members from meeting the leaders or candidates.

At present, there are five contenders in the battle for the Youth chief post. Besides Khairy and Mukhriz, the others are Perlis Umno deputy chief Zahidi Zainul Abidin, former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo and Energy, Water and Communications Minister Shaziman Abu Mansor.

However, the Umno supreme council this morning decided to postpone the party polls and annual general meeting to March next year to allow for a smooth transfer of power from Abdullah to his deputy, Najib Abdul Razak.

The meeting, along with party elections, was scheduled to be held in December.

Khairy - Youth chief contest won’t be easy

KUALA LUMPUR: The contest for the Umno Youth chief post in the coming party polls will be a tough battle, says Umno Youth deputy youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

He said Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, the son of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad, and former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo were strong contenders.

When asked about his chances of winning the contest, he said: “So-so. It will be a tough fight for (Datuk Seri) Khir Toyo, (Datuk) Mukhriz and I.”

Khairy, 32, announced his intention to contest for the post last week.

On his campaigning, he said it was going well and support from the grassroots was good.

Asked what kind of changes he aspired to bring to the movement, he replied: “Umno Youth has to be inclusive. I will be a leader for all Malaysians, not only for Umno Youth members.”

Mukhriz, 44, also saw the contest as a tough fight, saying Khairy and Dr Khir were strong challengers.

“I won’t take it lightly. My first hurdle will be to get enough nominations. If I qualify, my chances will be fair to good.”

Mukhriz said he had met many youth delegates and also obtained support from those holding high posts in the movement.

If he becomes youth chief, he said he would ensure the movement returned to its role of providing checks and balances within the party; as well as listening, understanding and helping resolve problems faced by youths.

“Sometimes, decisions made by the top leadership may be controversial and the movement needs to give alternative views. For the past four years, we have not played this role due to certain reasons.”

Dr Khir, 45 is currently performing his ummrah in Mecca.

A party official who declined to be named said Dr Khir had the edge among kampung folk due to his background.

“It is also what he calls kasih sayang (loving touch). He campaigns in big states like Selangor and areas where there are village folk of Javanese descent in Johor and Perak,” he said.

Each candidate needs 38 nominations to qualify. Another aspirant for the top post is Padang Besar Umno division chief Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin. 48.

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Khairy goes for Umno Youth top post

(NST) Khairy, the Umno Youth deputy chief and member of parliament for Rembau said he took a longer time to decide to run for the post as he needed to study and collect feedback from the party grassroots.

"The decision (to contest) is not mine solely but was reached by all Umno Youth members in the branches and divisions who want me as well as support my quest to continue Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein's fight for the party."

Hishammuddin will not be defending the post which he has held for 10 years.

"I am lucky that I was able to work under Hishammuddin for eight years, four years as an exco and the remaining four as his deputy.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate Hishammuddin for his successful 10-year tenure," he said at the Rembau Umno Youth service centre here.

Khairy, who announced his decision to an audience including 40 Umno Youth division leaders and five Umno Youth state leaders, said his agenda for the Youth wing would be based on the motto "Setia Kawan" or "Friendship and Unity".

Also present was Umno Youth secretary Datuk Rahman Dahalan and treasurer Datuk Abdul Hamid Mohd Nazahar.

"We want to stress friendship and unity not only among the youth in Umno and BN but among all Malaysian youths as well.

"I am not contesting solely as an Umno Youth member but as a Malaysian as I carry with me a national agenda," he said.

Khairy, 32, is the fourth candidate to enter the race. The others are former Selangor menteri besar Datuk Seri Mohd Khir Toyo, Jerlun MP Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir and Padang Besar Umno Youth head Datuk Zahidi Zainal Abidin.

He described the other contenders as reputable, credible and possessing their own strengths.

"I have a lot of respect for the other contenders as they are my seniors, hence more experienced," he said, adding that the credibility of the other aspirants proved the Youth wing's high reputation.

When asked who would be contesting the deputy's post, he said no individuals had offered themselves.

"No one has come forward so far, so anyone interested can offer themselves. It is a democratic process and I leave it to the divisions and representatives to ensure an eligible leader is chosen for the post."

Terengganu Umno Youth backs Khairy for top post

KUALA TERENGGANU: The state Umno Youth has suggested that national deputy youth wing chief Khairy Jamaluddin replace Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein as chief.

Terengganu Umno Youth chief Mohd Sabri Alwi said the motion to lobby for Khairy was reached unanimously by the wing’s leaders in all eight divisions here.

“We feel he is the right candidate to steer the wing to greater heights, especially with Umno currently facing numerous challenges,” said Mohd Sabri after a closed-door briefing session organised by Umno Youth at a leading hotel here, which Khairy attended.

“He (Khairy) is a capable leader and would be able to counter

any adversities faced by the wing and the party as a whole,” he added.

Mohd Sabri also noted that Khairy had been loyal to Hishammuddin as the latter’s deputy.

“Based on party tradition, the chief’s post should be taken over by the deputy and therefore Khairy is the right candidate.”

When met later, Khairy said he was still undecided whether to put his name up for the post, although he had received support from several states.