There are limits to freedom, warns Khairy

(NST) KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians should not abuse the freedom they have to openly debate and criticise issues.

Deputy Umno Youth head Khairy Jamaluddin said he was all for the open atmosphere, where government policies and leaders could be criticised by the media and where issues could be discussed, but warned that there were certain limits that needed to be adhered to.

"This openness is good for today’s political climate but we have to approach it ethically and wisely.

"We cannot push it too far, too soon, as we are still a maturing democracy.

"Racial sensitivities still exist and we should respect these boundaries," he said after opening the People’s Progressive Party Youth wing convention at the Putra World Trade Centre yesterday.

Khairy said the government could revert to a more controlled atmosphere if certain people chose to abuse this freedom.

He hoped the few people who were bent on testing the limits would not be too extreme, as this would prompt restrictions.

"I feel they should not sacrifice the positive atmosphere we have now just for the sake of fulfilling their own agendas.

"That is why Umno Youth will come down hard on those who breach the limits and ignore the boundaries of the law and racial sensitivities."

Earlier in his speech, Khairy said it had been an especially challenging year for Umno as many racial and religious controversies had sprung up during the past 12 months.

However, he said, he was impressed with the way the government had dealt with such charged issues, such as the Interfaith Commission, the findings by the Asian Strategic Leadership Institute on Bumiputera equity ownership, and the SMS which claimed a mass baptism for Muslims was being held in a church in Ipoh.

He said the BN leadership had shown rationality, wisdom and moderation when tackling the issues without detracting from the main focus of unity among Malaysians.

PPP Youth chief T. Murugiah said the wing’s resolutions this year included asking the BN leadership for four parliamentary seats and 12 state assembly seats in the next elections.

Murugiah said the party, which had grown to 500,000 members, should be given the opportunity to prove itself.

Barisan Nasional Wanita chief Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz, who opened the convention for the women’s wing, said there was a need to change the approaches taken to solve issues.

"Irrelevant and outdated approaches should be discarded and new and more effective ways have to be adopted," she said.

Rafidah said women should have a wider view of issues and be aware of what was important to society.

"They should also bear in mind global and regional perspectives in solving issues."

The delegates later touched on various issues, including the Ah Long problem, difficulty in getting bank loans, unity and Mat Rempit.

khairy jamaluddin malaysia freedom mat rempit racial racist

Khairy Jamaluddin: A sketch of a young man as a politician

(Aliran) Oxford-educated, journalist, television show producer, and investment banker, Khairy Jamaluddin is clearly a man of many 'talents'. But who is the real Khairy? Were he not the premier’s son-in-law, would he have much in common with Abdullah Badawi, wonders Khoo Boo Teik.

During the heady days of 1998–99, many apologists for the regime repeatedly asked, ‘Will the real Anwar Ibrahim stand up?’

The question was asked with feigned wonderment as if the possibility of an inconsistent politician had struck the questioner for the first time.

The truth of its answer, though, wasn’t important. The point of the question was to insinuate that ‘DSAI’ (Dat Sri Anwar Ibrahim) was an opportunist and to discredit Reformasi for supporting someone of dubious virtue.

Remember that. Now think how Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ) looms as a central, if shadowy, figure in the spat between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (TDM) and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Is it surprising, then, that no one from the Abdullah camp has asked, or will ask, ‘Will the real Khairy stand up?’

Looking for KJ

One supposes that ‘KJ’ himself would rather not face that question in public. After all, any unwanted publicity from the tussle between PM and TDM could be costly. Witness the forced sale of his ECM Libra shares and his tearful denial of the slur on his private affairs.

Still, having gone public and high-profile, KJ can’t avoid being split into different images, making one wish the ‘real KJ’ would stand up, if only to ease our confusion.

There’s KJ as the foreign-schooled, Oxford-educated, journalist, television show producer, and investment banker. This image of a suave, urbane, corporate-savvy and liberal KJ is easy, that is, simple and non-threatening, to behold.

There’s another KJ: rapidly rising First Son-in-Law, go-getting UMNO Youth Deputy President, and imposing tower of power possessed of an octopus-like reach of influence.

This KJ is the ‘boy wonder’ protagonist of The Khairy Chronicles whose ‘no holds barred’ producer, Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK), has done more than anyone else to track KJ’s comings, goings, doings, and undoings. This KJ is the master manipulator Mahathir blames for ‘4th Floor’s sway over 5th Floor’.

If RPK or Mahathir is to be believed, this image of KJ must be fearsome to encounter.

Yet another image

There’s no compelling reason to accept just one of these images. A politician, as the Chinese say, speaks out of both sides of the mouth, and in mass politics an aspiring leader seeks to be all things to all men.

Yet, this much is already apparent of KJ. He seems to represent the future; yet his recent politics was stuck with a Malay nationalism that Mahathir made obsolete before he retired. KJ is careful to remain in the public eye but his ways are so self-absorbed he can’t cut a truly public figure.

Put these together and there’s KJ the ‘MyTeam’ manager, the ‘Mat Rempit’ patron, the basher of the Penang government and, not least, the ‘Out of the Cage’ columnist for the New Straits Times.

Try a different way of seeing things. Compare KJ with Anwar and Mahathir when the latter two were just immersing themselves in politics.

Beside them, KJ looks young, too young to merit a serious evaluation as a politician, and too early into his career to know just where and how things are going.

UMNO's tents

Naturally KJ and his allies will dispute the point about an obsolete Malay nationalism. After all, UMNO is strong again and many of its keris-waving leaders cling to an unfinished agenda.

KJ himself didn’t doubt UMNO’s relevance. He shopped around, politically speaking, but rejected PAS and Keadilan. ‘When all those around me in 1999 ran away,’ he wrote, he entered ‘the big tent that is UMNO’.

Five years later, KJ was deputy chief of the lesser tent of UMNO Youth in circumstances publicly related by Abdullah: ‘Hisha-muddin says, “The Youth have decided, I have decided, I want to nominate Khairy for Youth deputy head, Pak Lah don’t disturb, this is Youth affairs”.’

In UMNO Youth’s history, KJ’s rise was not as spectacular as Anwar’s defeat of Suhaimi Kamaruddin for the UMNO Youth presidency in 1982, barely a year after Anwar had joined UMNO.

But, by 1982, the ideological impact, organisational assets and popular standing Anwar had gained from leading ABIM, protesting in Baling, languishing in Kamunting, and heading the anti-Societies Act movement had made him a youth of international prominence.

KJ in 2004 was still best known as Abdullah’s son-in-law. No one really knew what he stood for other than a presumed association with his father-in-law’s reformist intentions and election promises.

Stark contrast

Young man Mahathir, using the pseudonym of C.H.E. Det, wrote a number of essays for the Straits Times. The C.H.E. Det essays explored the Malay world, noted its changes, explained its problems, and argued its case. One notable piece outlined what Mahathir later called the ‘Malay dilemma’.

Reading those essays, one wouldn’t learn the writer’s identity. But one encountered a coherent Malay worldview and an articulate young voice of Malay nationalism. The C.H.E. Det essays ended a quarter of a century before KJ was born.

A regular reader of ‘Out of the Cage’ will soon notice that KJ’s column in NST is mostly about KJ – how he’s grown up in politics, his sponsorship of MyTeam, his problems with Mahathir, and so on.

In his piece on MyTeam, for example, KJ spoke of feeling ‘pumped up’ as if ‘I was ordering a battalion into war’; scolding ‘pea-brained political opportunists who suggested that MyTeam supporters were unpatriotic’; never allowing MyTeam to ‘challenge the Football Association of Malaysia or turn Malaysians against the national team’; and believing ‘MyTeam has succeeded’.

In another essay, he said of himself: ‘You choose this life less ordinary because you want to stand up and be counted. You took the plunge because you have something to say. Say it. Do it. And never stop fighting until the fight is done. Light the fire.’

Such a homily might more suitably have been delivered by an older person. Here it’s part of KJ’s defending his decision to be a politician with no sense of irony: ‘We owe it to this great profession [sic] to make it the career of choice for the best, brightest and most principled.’

Whereas C.H.E. Det’s essays were original, refreshing and bold, KJ’s insights in ‘Out of the Cage’ scarcely rise above platitudes: ‘Politics is not about power, position or personal wealth. Politics is a process in which we can make a difference to others. Politics is that fire in your belly that makes you want to change the world. Politics is about the contestation of ideas.’

Evidently, one can stay out of the cage without thinking outside the box.

Style mesti ada

To say that ‘Out of the Cage’ reveals a KJ wrapped up in himself is not to take sides in UMNO’s old or current battles.

It’s to show a widening gulf between KJ’s concerns and the substance and style of his Malay nationalism when the pressure from The Spat mounted. To be precise, his responses to the pressure showed little substance but style of a sort ill suited to the contexts.

KJ baited the Barisan Nasional’s Chinese-based component parties by warning UMNO that the non-Malays would take advantage of ‘Malay disunity’. He contrived this although Chinese parties and organisations, save Matthias Chang who represented himself, had steered clear of The Spat.

Next, and aided by the Penang UMNO Youth, KJ bashed the Gerakan-led government in Penang for ‘marginalizing the Malays’. Again, this was contrivance.

Didn’t KJ know that UMNO is more powerful than Gerakan even in the state government?

Couldn’t he reason that if Malay economic parity with non-Malays was Penang’s problem, Gerakan had no more failed here than UMNO had in the whole country despite UMNO’s control of the Federal government, state governments and incomparably greater resources?

A sandiwara predictably followed. An apology was demanded of KJ.

He shrugged it off in the imperious manner of George Bush, Sr who in 1988 said, ‘I will never apologise for the United States, ever. I don’t care what the facts are.’

KJ’s response was, ‘It never crossed my mind to apologise to those who are hurt by what I said in Kedah last week. For me, if we truly fight for our race, one should not apologise.’


Power means never...

Does that sound like ‘My bangsa, right or wrong’? Don’t be deceived. It was ‘Myself, like it or not’.

Compare that with KJ’s reflection on his maturation: ‘You don’t say the first thing that comes to your mind but say the right thing …You are more mindful of others and think about consequences that are three or four times removed from your action.’

Although UMNO habitually and aggressively demanded apologies for any imagined hurt to ‘Malay dignity’, no UMNO elder scolded KJ for not being ‘more mindful of others’.

On the contrary, PM, himself a veteran MP from Penang, instructed the Penang government to review its plans so that Malays aren’t neglected in the state. Najib Tun Razak advised Koh Tsu Koon to be ‘Chief Minister of all races’. And Hishamuddin Hussein, too, was there for KJ – to scowl at MCA (‘Do not challenge us!’) and lecture Gerakan (‘Something must be not right if the Penang UMNO Youth made such a statement.’).

Is it any wonder that The Khairy Chronicles are full of episodes detailing how KJ calls the shots in UMNO and the government to everyone else’s consternation?

Perhaps panicked by Mahathir, KJ lashed out against soft targets. Clearly KJ didn’t think he behaved like a ‘little Napoleon’ who, still ‘wet behind his ears’, to use his own words, had violated his ‘probationary licence’ by ‘shaking the tree when there was no wind’.

Perhaps fearful of UMNO’s own discord, KJ wouldn’t risk opening another front in an intra-Malay battle. If not, why didn’t he go after PAS for fishing in UMNO’s troubled waters? Why didn’t he attack Keadilan when Anwar called for an end to NEP?

Mistaken tactics

Times change and youth may think differently but KJ’s capers have nothing to do with Malay nationalism, as C.H.E. Det or Anwar or Musa Hitam or Tengku Razaleigh knew it. We only flatter KJ to mention him with them.

KJ is no C.H.E. Det who, planted on Malay soil, framed a view of Malay society and economy and formulated a basic solution to the ‘Malay dilemma’. Nor is KJ the young Anwar who drew upon Islam and a firm footing in civil society as the sources of social criticism and activism.

In contrast, KJ riles his BN partners and bashes Penang as if he’s staging media events and publicity stunts on par with sponsoring socceroos and mingling with bikies. His is an approach that passes off theatrics for politics.

No doubt many Malaysian politicians reach for the ethnic card when they’re in trouble. This time around, Mahathir flashed the ethnic card just as opportunistically, for instance, by attacking ‘non-Malay editors’ in NST and elsewhere.

But did KJ expect his tactics to succeed in mending ‘Malay disunity’ where Mahathir’s diversionary attack on Suqiu had failed in 2000? If so, KJ is nowhere near having the substance to confront the one target that matters – Mahathir.

Listen to this: ‘When defining moments come along, by all means define that [sic] moment … But beware how you define it … And avoid trying to define the moment so much and without any thought that in the end, it defines you.’

Is this philosophic wisdom dumbing itself down for the rakyat, or plain gobbledygook?

In fact, it was KJ’s pondering Zizou’s self-destructive World Cup Final head-butting, and Peter Costello’s self-defeating claim of a ‘secret agreement’ between him and Prime Minister John Howard of Australia.

Actually it was a most oblique attack on Mahathir’s allegation that Abdullah had reneged on their ‘gentleman’s agreement’ made before Mahathir’s retirement.

But if that’s an indication that KJ won’t face Mahathir squarely the way Mahathir engages his opponents, there’s no point in further wondering whether KJ will ‘out-Malay’ Mahathir. He won’t, because he can’t.

Beyond the spat

The mainstream media has it that Mahathir has reached the end of his mission. He failed to be elected a delegate from Kubang Pasu to UMNO’s next annual general assembly. It’s said that he’d lowered his martabat for nothing.

The pro-Mahathir online media thinks Abdullah’s television interview was flawed and KJ’s been wounded and had to retreat. He was heckled at Titiwangsa UMNO Youth Division, and Abdullah, Najib and Hisha-muddin have had to come to his defence more than once.

Whatever is the present score in The Spat, we don’t need more personalised images of KJ.

But we should note that KJ stands at this juncture for a social type, namely, an NEP-created Melayu Baru

In class terms, this urban, yuppie and corporate class feels superior not only to the masses but the Asian crisis-humiliated tokoh korporat of Mahathir-Daim sponsorship and the older and humbler UMNO ‘grassroots’ as well.

This class now operates in the borders between state and market. It would prefer not to be overly dependent on the state, but it’s unwilling to face the market frontally.

Hence, for all the talk of removing crutches and creating towering personalities, the social type of this class resents being ‘backward’ at home and fears being ‘uncompetitive’ abroad.

Socially, this class has detached itself from the rural Malays, the lower-level civil servants and the self-employed in small business. But, politically, this class must stay connected to them via UMNO and ‘Malay nationalism’.

Were he not the PM’s son-in-law, KJ’s urban, yuppie, corporate and liberal inclinations would not have much in common with his father-in-law’s small-town, civil service and religious intuitions.

That each of them comforts the other amidst Mahathir’s onslaught lends a sharp edge to The Spat which is no less than a political ‘disorder’ that has erupted between the slow passing of the Mahathir era and the unsecured birth of Abdullah’s.
khairy jamaluddin pm prime minister abdullah ahmad badawi malaysia

Accusation Of Nepotism To Bring Leader Down, Says Abdullah

BANGKOK, Dec 12 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said accusation of nepotism against him was one way of bringing him down and eroding his credibility.

The Prime Minister said he realised that allegations and accusations of nepotism against him was because of his leadership style that allowed others to comment and criticise, as well as more space for democratic debate and discussion in the media.

In an interview with Bangkok Post editor-in-chief Pichai Chuensuksawadi at his residence in Putrajaya, Abdullah was also asked how he felt about allegations against his son Kamaluddin and son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin.

"I think the accusation of nepotism against a leader is one way of bringing him down, of eroding his credibility. They will do anything," he said.

Abdullah said Kamaluddin worked overseas and got some contracts with Petronas through open international tender and also bought some companies which he wanted because of their engineering and machine-tooling capabilities.

"He does not build the company, he goes for mergers and acquisitions. That's his style of business. Although many people have come and asked him to go into joint ventures with government-linked companies, he says 'No, I have enough money, I am rich'," said Abdullah.

Asked if his leadership style of allowing more debate opened him to a lot of criticisms, Abdullah said he did get very sad.

"I did mention that the old man practically smashed Khairy's pot of rice. That's something I am very sad about . He has sold his interest in ECM Libra (an investment bank group). Sold it at a loss. Now he has some debts to settle," said Abdullah.

He said when Khairy was offered to join ECM Libra, all sorts of news were made about him so as to disqualify him.

Abdullah said freedom to speak should not be used to tell lies and slander other people, adding that he was open to criticism.

"You want to speak the truth, by all means, I have no problem. You want to tell me something's wrong somewhere, tell me. Tell the leadership the truth. I am happy for people to help me see things that are not doing well," he added.

In the interview, Abdullah also reiterated that he had not stopped the drive against corruption which was part of his reform agenda when he took over the country.

"I have not forgotten about this," he said.

In fact, Abdullah said there would be 300 new officers for a special investigative unit that would not wait for police to provide a report before they could act.

"If they themselves receive reports or if they believe something is not right somewhere, they will go in," he added.

Asked on the number of ongoing investigations, Abdullah said there were more than 100 now, adding that he had told them to be very careful to ensure fairness to everyone and that they should have enough evidence.

"To an executive, to an owner of a company, they know that if these officials walk into their room, their rating goes down. Immediately people will suspect that something is wrong," he said.

But Abdullah said it was not easy to get evidence as suspects were very clever and they had money all over the place, such as Swiss banks where it would be very difficult to get information.

As a long-term measure, Abdullah said he was working in the preventive area by inculcating good values and integrity through the setting up of the Institute of Integrity Malaysia.

tun mahathir mohamad malaysia pm abdullah badawi khairy jamaluddin

Get Grassroot Opinion On Utusan-NSTP Merger, Says Khairy

KUALA TERENGGANU, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- Any form of a merger between Kumpulan Utusan Melayu and the New Straits Times Press (NSTP) will have to get the opinion of the grassroots because the two mainstream newspapers have their own history and identity.

Umno Youth Vice Chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the movement had discussed the issue before the party's Supreme Council meeting recently.

"At the last Youth exco meeting, the pros and cons on the proposed merger were raised and because of that, the government, Kumpulan Utusan Melayu and Media Prima have to study the opinion of the grassroots before making a decision," he told reporters when met at a function at Dataran Syahbandar here Saturday.

He said although the merger would be good in strengthening the commercial aspects of the two companies, it could lead to the newspapers, especially Utusan Melayu to lose its identity.

utusan new strait times nstp merger malaysia

Khairy says book on him a fiction

(The Star) COPIES of Hikayat Khairy – Khairy Jamaluddin: Putera Oxford ke Putrajaya is being given out free at the Umno general assembly, and it has been labelled as “fiction” by Khairy Jamaluddin who is son-in-law of party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“The central character in the book has the same name as me. The photograph on the cover strikingly resembles me.




ENGROSSED: Two women reading ‘Hikayat Khairy – Khairy Jamaluddin: Putera Oxford ke Putrajaya’ book which was given out free at the assembly yesterday.

“But the stories inside have nothing to do with me. It is full of lies,” said the deputy Umno Youth chief.

The 253-page book is the Malay version of the Khairy Chronicles posted in an online news portal.

Khairy said he was aware that both English and Malay versions of the book had been circulated for some time.

“It is an attempt to smear my reputation. At the same time I feel flattered that someone is willing to spend so much time and money fantasising and speculating about what I do.

“This shows that someone is obsessed with me. I feel sorry for the writer because his life is so meaningless. The person must be so full of hatred and disillusionment to resort to this.

“If I meet the writer, I will counsel him. I will ask him to look at life from a more meaningful perspective,” he said.

Asked about a chapter of the book which touched on actress Maya Karin, Khairy said he had explained many times that he had nothing to do with her.

Some of the delegates said the person behind it must have spent quite a bit, as the print quality was very good.


khairy jamaluddin pm abdullah ahmad badawi malaysia umno

Khairy hits out at call to abolish NEP

(The Star) KHAIRY Jamaluddin hit out at Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for saying that the New Economic Policy (NEP) was no longer needed.

Without naming him, the Umno Youth deputy chief said there was a former deputy president who had said in an interview that the NEP was bad because only the cronies and the “Umnoputras” became rich from it.

“Pandai dia cakap (What cheek he has to speak). He was the greatest Umnoputra of all and a very rich one too,” he said in his winding up speech.

Since his release from prison, Anwar has said in a number of interviews that the NEP should be abolished and that all races should be given equal opportunities.

Khairy slammed the Asli (Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute) report that claimed Malay corporate equity had reached 45%.

“They are manipulating figures. If we want to use the Asli figures, let’s set a new target. Let’s make it 70% for the Malay equity,” he added.

He also slammed some government-linked companies (GLCs) which were said to treat Umno Youth members as beggars.

He told reporters later that the statement by a Penang delegate (that the Penang Malays are being neglected) was important for the Penang government led by Gerakan deputy president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon to take stock of the situation and address the problems faced by the Malays in the state.

“The actual message is that the Malays are feeling dissatisfied in Penang and they have the right to express their feelings,” he said.
khairy jamaluddin nep umno anwar ibrahim bumiputera

Umno Youth grassroots understand issue: Khairy

SEREMBAN: (Bernama) Umno Youth grassroots members generally understand the issue that arose between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the movement's vice head Khairy Jamaluddin said Saturday.

He said they already knew the problems and wished to focus on the real struggle -the implementation of the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) and the next general election.

"However, Umno Youth leader Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein has issued a statement that the Youth wing's leadership will explain the matter to the grassroots," he told reporters when met at a Hari Raya open house at the residence of the Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan at Kampung Tanjung, Rantau near here, Saturday.

He was commenting on the differences between the Prime Minister and his predecessor after a meeting between them at Seri Perdana, Putrajaya, last Sunday.

Asked whether the differences between the two leaders would be raised in the Umno General Assembly next month, he said, he did not know whether the issue would be raised or not.

He said, Hishammuddin would probably focus more on the 9MP in his policy speech at the assembly.

khairy jamaluddin nep umno tun mahathir mohamad

Khairy urged to prove sincerity

(The Star) PETALING JAYA: The MCA Youth has urged Khairy Jamaluddin to prove he has no intentions of hurting the feelings of the Chinese community.

MCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said Khairy, who is the Umno Youth deputy chief, should also ensure he did not repeat remarks that would offend the community.

“We will continue to observe and will explain to the grassroots and listen to their views,” he told a press conference after launching the 8th Yamaha Balik Kampung Safety Campaign here yesterday.

If the grassroots were still dissatisfied with the explanation on Khairy’s statement, he said, the movement could always raise it at the Barisan Nasional Youth meeting.

“Problems cannot be solved in a single meeting. We need more time, sincerity and action to show that the statement of a particular person has been misconstrued before the truth can be revealed,” he said.

Several Barisan parties criticised Khairy for his remarks in August that non-Malay parties would take advantage of a weak Umno.

Liow said no one should be allowed to jeopardise racial harmony.

On whether he agreed that Khairy’s statement had been misinterpreted by the media, Liow said Khairy should straighten things out with the media himself.

He said the MCA Youth would work with other parties within the Barisan Youth movement to boost unity.

He said he had clearly voiced the views of the MCA's youth central delegates and the gravity of the matter.

“We have told him (Khairy) that his speeches had hurt the feelings of the Chinese and he (Khairy) told us that he never intended to do so.

On how Khairy should prove his sincerity, Liow said: “We will see.”

Earlier at the launch of the road safety campaign, Liow said he hoped the campaign, which provided a scientific explanation of dangerous situations, blind spots, the right way of wearing the helmet and using brakes, would educate and change the attitude of motorcyclists.

The campaign is jointly organised by the Malaysian Motorcycle and Scooter Dealers Association, Youth and Sports Ministry, Road Safety Department, Hong Leong Yamaha Motor, Litrak, P&O Insurance and KHI Helmet.

Starting yesterday, technicians from Hong Leong Yamaha Motor would be offering a free 15-point safety check for motorcycles at over six locations along highways in Ipoh, Penang, Johor, Malacca, Pahang and here.

Liow said the total number of accidents nationwide from January to August last year was 214,000, and it had risen to 222,000 this year.

khairy jamaluddin malaysia pm abdullah ahmad badawi umno mca

Khairy to wait for BN meeting to explain

(The Star) MALACCA: Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin will wait for a Barisan Nasional Youth meeting to be convened to explain a remark attributed to him that component parties would take advantage of the situation if Umno became weak.

Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein is expected to set the date for the meeting.

“I'll wait for the date and we will discuss with Barisan Youth on how to strengthen unity, co-operation and relationship,” he told reporters after opening the Tangga Batu Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri delegates conferences here yesterday.

He said the Barisan Youth meeting was the best forum to him to state the truth. “I don't want to discuss (the matter) in the newspapers because I know it's not constructive.”

Later speaking at the delegates meeting, Khairy said that a balanced income should be the party’s main agenda and there was no time for other petty issues.

“It has been 20 years and the nation is well developed in the industrial sector and others, but in comparison with the other races, Malays are still left far behind,” he said.

“We really want to see the improvement of the Malays, that’s why I voiced my suggestion,” he said, adding that the Government could consider studying the income gap among races.

khairy jamaluddin prime minister abdullah ahmad badawi malaysia mca umno

Khairy not bothered with hecklers at meeting

(The Star) KUALA LUMPUR: A group of hecklers, believed to be Umno members, tried to disrupt the Titiwangsa Umno divisional meeting here yesterday which was officiated by Umno deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

The hecklers, who were seated at the back of the hall where the meeting was held, started to shout five minutes after Khairy started to read his speech.

The group continued to interject Khairy during every sentence of his speech that lasted more than 30 minutes, but the latter was unperturbed and ignored the group's antics.

The hall reverberated in a chaotic manner the moment Khairy said in his speech that Mat Rempit (illegal motorcycle racers) only involved the Malays.

Later at a press conference, Khairy, who was asked about the disturbance, said it was a norm for Umno Youth members to get excited and that he had nothing to feel suspicious about.

On an unrelated matter, Khairy said he would get the cooperation of the Federal Territory Umno Youth chief Datuk Norza Zakaria to look into a matter where Malay traders at Keramat who have been waiting for Kuala Lumpur City Hall to build a proper market for the past 20 years.

khairy jamaluddin prime minister abdullah ahmad badawi malaysia umno

Pak Lah : Says Khairy Himself Should Clarify His sensitive Statement

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Umno Youth deputy head Khairy Jamaluddin should himself clarify his statement that is said to have offended the Chinese community.

"The statement has been made. I do not know what he had actually said but this is a matter that Khairy himself has to respond to and clarify," he said.

Abdullah, who is Umno president and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said Khairy could explain the actual meaning of his statement, which might differ from what had been reported in the media.

It was reported recently that Khairy, the son-in-law of the prime minister, had said that the Chinese community would take advantage of Umno if the party was split.

BN component parties MCA and Gerakan reacted to the statement and it was a hot topic at yesterday's MCA Youth assembly where the delegates wanted Khairy to make an open apology to the Chinese community.

Speaking to reporters after launching the exhibition of the 2006 Putrajaya National Water Colour Painting Competition at the National Art Gallery here, Abdullah reminded BN leaders to exercise caution when making statements lest they give rise to misunderstanding.

"A cautious approach is most important because in the BN we have parties that represent the various communities and when any sensitive statement is made they will surely react to such a statement," he said.

tun mahathir mohamad pm abdullah ahmad badawi khairy jamaluddin

Malaysia's coalition embroiled in row triggered by PM's son-in-law

(Channel News Asia) KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia's ethnic Chinese party pledged its support for the dominant UMNO Sunday after the ruling coalition was rocked by a row triggered by the prime minister's controversial son-in-law.

Khairy Jamaluddin, 30, a businessman and ambitious emerging politician, has already been forced to deny that he is the power behind the throne in the face of concerns about his influence over Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

In the latest upset, Khairy caused uproar in the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) by saying that if the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) became weak other parties could seize the opportunity to make demands.

Khairy, who is the deputy leader of UMNO's influential youth wing, said this could lead to instability in the multi-ethnic National Front coalition.

The balance of power between the races is an extremely sensitive issue in Malaysia, where the population is dominated by Muslim Malays living alongside ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.

MCA members have demanded an apology from Khairy, saying that the party had always stood firm behind its coalition partner and that his comments had hurt the feelings of the Chinese community.

In a bid to lessen the row, Abdullah said Sunday at MCA's annual general assembly that all parties should stop raising sensitive issues related to religion and race.

"Do not create a situation that can lead to difficulties. Difficulties will make everyone apprehensive," the premier said in an opening speech.

He said that any attempt to amend controversial articles in the constitution related to race would "cause a storm if left unchecked".

The MCA also attempted to calm the issue, pledging its support for UMNO's role as the linchpin of the coalition.

"MCA, as the political representative of the Chinese community, would want to see a stable and strong UMNO," president Ong Ka Ting told the assembly. "We stand by together and provide support."

khairy jamaluddin umno malaysia pm abdullah ahmad badawi

Khairy: I’ll not let Malays be social outcasts

(The Star) KUALA SELANGOR: It is Umno Youth's responsibility to protect the party from internal threats as well as to ensure that Malay youths do not succumb to social ills.

Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the onus was also on the Youth wing to bring young Malays into the party fold.

Khairy said there were certain quarters which undermined Malay youths by saying that they were social outcasts for being involved in unhealthy activities like illegal racing, drugs and promiscuity, among others.

“I will personally not let that happen,” Khairy said in his speech after opening the Kuala Selangor Umno Youth delegates meeting last night.

He also said it was not necessary to apologise for protecting the party, religion, race and country.

Khairy said that Umno Youth would fight to ensure that the Malays were not left behind when the country becomes a developed nation by the year 2020.

Hishammuddin Considers Issue On Khairy's Remark Settled

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 24 (Bernama) -- Umno Youth Chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said he considers the issue evolving around his deputy Khairy Jamaludin's remark that downplayed the role of other Barisan National (BN) component parties, as having been resolved.

He said discussions with counterparts from the other component parties had been held, and all agreed that the issued had been resolved.

"I do not think we need to play up the issue any more," he told reporters after witnessing the 24th Royal Trophy National Oratory final competition here Thursday.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Fauziah Tengku Abdul Rashid were also at the event.

Hishammuddin said he planned to ask Khairy to elaborate further on the issue at an Umno Youth meeting, whose date he would decide later.

The Education Minister said it was suggested that the meeting be held after the Youth movements of the MCA and MIC had held their respective general meetings this Saturday.

MCA Youth Chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai had said yesterday that the movement respected Umno Youth's stand and it held the opinion that all problems could be overcome at the Youth levels without affecting unity.

He said the issue, which evolved around the content of Khairy's speeches at Umno meetings including one in Kedah last Friday that had offended leaders of BN component parties, could be resolved amicably.

Khairy in his speech during these meetings had repeatedly stated that Umno was the backbone of the BN's strength and not other component parties.

A local Chinese daily had reported negative reactions of leaders from other BN component parties on the remarks made by Khairy.

tun mahathir mohamad pm abdullah ahmad badawi khairy jamaluddin mca hishamuddin hussein

I've Explained Enough, Says Khairy

REMBAU, Aug 6 (Bernama) -- Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin says he has made enough explanations on allegations levelled at him and will now focus on the movement's struggle.

He said so far he had spoken to five Umno divisions and "I think that's enough and I want to focus on more important matters."

"I don't know from where the slanders come. I just explain, I've responded to several issues raised by certain leaders which are talked about by party members. So, I have to explain."

He was speaking to reporters after the simultaneous opening of the Rembau Umno Youth, Wanita and Puteri delegates conferences by Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Khairy, who is also Rembau Umno Youth head, said as long as he was Umno Youth deputy head, he would continue to listen to views from the grassroots.

"What's important is Umno Youth members. If they accept my explanation, it's good enough for me. Not that I want to satisfy those who accuse me," he said.

Since Friday, Khairy has been talking to several Umno youth divisions during which he denied marrying popular Malay actress Maya Karin and replied to allegations that he interfered in government administration, became a millionaire overnight and could afford to buy ECM-Libra Berhad shares.

Yesterday, he said he was prepared to relinquish his post as Umno Youth deputy chief if he was considered a liability to the movement.

In PORT KLANG, when opening the Klang Umno Youth delegates conference, he likened the people who spread slanders against him as "monkeys shaking the tree.".

"After I made the explanation in Kelantan, some people are still not satisfied. They say if there is no wind, how can a tree sway. It is difficult to answer but sometimes, we can see tree branches moving without wind. Does it happen or there's a monkey shaking them."

He said he regretted having to answer trivial matters about his family in Umno forums which should be the place to discuss national and global issues.

Meanwhile, Federal Territories Umno Youth called on irresponsible people who hurled various baseless allegations against Khairy to stop doing so immediately.

"The movement considers stinging attacks on Khairy as efforts to undermine Umno Youth," its head Datuk Mohamad Norza Zakaria said.

He said the State Umno Youth supported Umno Youth Chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and Khairy as the most senior leaders in the movement and described them as "the country's most important asset".

I've Explained Enough Khairy Jamaluddin umno youth pm abdullah badawi tun mahathir mohamad malaysia

Khairy Jamaluddin Should Be Awarded The Oscar For Best Actor

(DAP News) UMNO Youth Deputy President and Malaysia’s most famous son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin should be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor with the FRU personnel guarding the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre the Best Supporting Actors in the farcical protest by UMNO Youth, MCA Youth and MIC Youth against visiting US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice yesterday. Khairy correctly told reporters that all Malaysians — irrespective of race and religion — condemned the Israeli violence and blamed the United States for providing weapons to Israel and sanctioning the violence.

But his fine-sounding intentions sounded absurd and perverse when he added,

"From the people of Malaysia, we do not welcome Rice here. You may be invited by the Government, but we do not welcome Rice here”.

Rice was invited by his father-in-law’s government and Khairy is a member of the government. If the government is supposed to represent the people of Malaysia, how can Khairy as a member of the government not welcome Rice?

What type of Oxford logic or double-speak is there that can turn black into white and turn right to wrong? If Khairy is sincere in opposing Rice and condemning the slaughter of innocent civilians by Israelis and American-supplied weaponry, then he should as a member of the government convince his father-in-law not to invite Rice to Kuala Lumpur. Instead Rice loved the hospitality of the Malaysian government so much that she lingered and tarried in Kuala Lumpur one more night instead of going back to the Middle-East.

Clearly this is all play-acting with Khairy, arm in a sling, to score political points within UMNO. Khairy wants to prove that he is not all about ECM-Libra and the brains behind his father-in-law but also muscular in action opposing the depredations of Israel against the Palestinians and Lebanese.

That is why Khairy should be awarded an Oscar for best actor in sounding so sincere and forgetting that he was a member of the government with those ridiculous words, “that even you are invited by the Malaysian government, the people of Malaysia do not welcome you here”. If Khairy is sincere, he should be protesting against the Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Syed Hamid Albar for inviting Rice to Kuala Lumpur?

If Khairy deserves a best actor award, then the Federal Reserve Unit personnel deserves to be awarded Oscar best supporting actors. Our FRU personnel must be the greatest wimps in the world if they are so incompetent in not being able to prevent one Khairy Jamaluddin from passing the barrier. It is bizarre how one Khairy, arm in sling, can push past more than 10 burly FRU personnel. No wonder Americans secret service has no confidence in our security arrangements when it is so lax and wimpish.

The IGP must explain why police did not act against Khairy but can beat up peaceful demonstrators protesting against the fuel hike when the demonstrators did not even attempt to pass any barriers. Such double-standards prove that it is not only Americans who practice double-standards in regards to human rights.

khairy jamaluddin malaysia pm abdullah ahmad badawi umno rice usa protest

BN Youth to hold protest at KLCC

(The Star) PUTRAJAYA: Umno Youth will hold a protest at the KLCC Mosque today against Israel's military action in Lebanon and Palestine.

The protest will be led by Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin and will include youth leaders from the other Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties.

Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said protests would continue as long as Israeli action in Lebanon and Palestine persisted.

“We want the Lebanese and Palestinians to know we are with them,” he said after chairing the ministry's post-Cabinet meeting yesterday.

Last Friday, more than 2,000 Umno Youth members marched to the American, French and Chinese embassies and the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur to protest against the Israeli action.

Hishammuddin said BN Youth leaders would also be travelling to various countries in the region to create awareness of Israel's military action in Lebanon and Palestine.

Dr M: I want answers

(The Star) KUALA LUMPUR: Stressing that he is not picking a fight with Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi or the Government, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he merely wants answers to questions on certain policies ditched by the current administration.

The former premier said his questions need not necessarily be answered by the Prime Minister, but could be replied to by the relevant ministers.

Dr Mahathir singled out four issues: the Government’s decision to scrap the Johor bridge, the sale of MV Agusta, the issuance of Approved Permits (AP) for car imports, and why Proton Holding Bhd chief executive officer Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff’s contract was not renewed.

“I am not fighting with the Prime Minister,” he told reporters after delivering his keynote address at the International Islamic Fair conference here yesterday.

“I only do not agree with certain things that had been done. And I want to know why. I have no problem with the Government. I have problems with the things that had been done.”.

He was responding to the Cabinet ministers’ reaction to his outburst on Wednesday, when he accused the Abdullah administration of dismantling many of his policies and project ”I’m interested in finding answers to why Agusta was sold to an Italian company with a two-Euro capital. Why do you sack a chief executive officer (of Proton) who has been managing well and made the company profitable? And why appoint somebody who made it unprofitable, and lose RM500mil?

“Why was the (Johor) bridge not built when work had already started and it was already agreed to by the Cabinet and when Singapore was not complaining? “Instead, the focus is Dr Mahathir should keep his mouth shut.”

He said he had written questions to the relevant authorities, including the Proton management and Securities Commission but had yet to get answers.

“Why did they sack Tengku Mahaleel? What is his fault? They should explain. I am the adviser,” he said.

“I want to know why the ongoing project was ditched. Is it because of a lack of funds? As far I know, there is money. “That’s why I asked, but some people say Dr Mahathir should not speak. He has retired; he should go back and sleep.”

On Abdullah’s reaction, Dr Mahathir said: “I am happy that he said that it is my right to speak. Yes, very good. Thank you very much. So now I’m speaking because he said I have the right to speak; but some others said I have no right to speak.”

Dr Mahathir also expressed disappointment that some ministers who were also in his Cabinet were questioning his right to criticise instead of answering his questions.

“What is disappointing is that instead of explaining, all the talk is whether I have been right in making the criticism, whether I’m following the Umno tradition,” he said. “Maybe they don’t have answers, that is why they try to demonise me or try to make me appear very bad. “Apparently, from the way ministers invariably support everything the Prime Minister says, there cannot be much debate in the Cabinet.

“Two days before, they say we will build the bridge. When the Prime Minister said we would not build the bridge, everybody said we would not build the bridge. I am a bit sad.

“I raised questions, none has been explained. Instead, they say Dr Mahathir should not speak like that. He has no right as an ex-prime minister ... should go back and sleep, not disturb people. “Every time I say something, the same people or members of the Cabinet will give their standard comments.

“I say something today, I’m quite sure you will ask the ministers to say something. These were my Cabinet ministers. Before, they agreed with me.”

Asked whether he would continue to speak out on government policies and decisions, he replied: “If there is anything wrong, I claim the right to ask questions. Or is it that we cannot ask questions?”

Asked whom he meant when he said the Government came under the “influence of people with an agenda”, he replied: “A lot of people talk about it. I don’t dare to tell. You will ask others to comment 'Why Dr Mahathir say like that?’”

Asked his opinion of Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin, he replied: “He is (Abdullah's) son-in-law.

You want to fish for information so that I will react. You are trying to get me into a controversy. I understand that Khairy is the son-in-law. That’s all.”

On Tengku Razaleigh's call to Abdullah and Dr Mahathir to meet to resolve the issue, as the controversy might split Umno, he said: “I think he is competent to make such a remark because once upon a time, he challenged me.

“When he lost, he formed a new party, he split the party. He knows about it, that’s why he is advising me not to do that.

“Just like Tun Musa Hitam. He said that (what I did) was not in keeping with party tradition because, once before, he also made that mistake. Now he wants to warn me not make the same mistake.”

Asked whether he had posed his questions to Abdullah when they met in Japan recently, Dr Mahathir said: “It was a 10-minute meeting. He was talking about a lot of things; I was listening.”

khairy jamaluddin prime minister abdullah ahmad badawi malaysia umno youth mahathir mohamad

Khairy: All must abide by decisions

(The Star) KUALA LUMPUR: There is no room in Umno Youth for leaders to make statements contrary to decisions taken by its executive council, said the movement’s deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

Umno Youth, he said, operated on consensus and any decision made would be binding on all of its executive council members.

“An exco member may have his own opinion on any issue but once a decision has been made, he is duty-bound not to make statements that are contrary to that decision as that can cause confusion among the grassroots.

“That’s what is called collective responsibility which has always been the practice in Umno Youth,” he said in response to Umno Youth executive council member Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir’s recent statement urging the Government to re-open negotiations with Singapore over the aborted bridge project and other issues.

Khairy said the movement had to issue a disclaimer over Mukhriz’s statement to ensure that the public was aware that the latter’s statement was not representative of Umno Youth’s stand on the bridge issue.

Speaking at a forum in Johor Baru last week, Mukhriz had said the Government should have continued with the bridge negotiations even if the matter had to be brought before the International Court of Justice.

Umno Youth, at its executive council meeting on April 14, had supported the Cabinet’s decision to cancel the project.

Asked whether Mukhriz was present during the meeting, Khairy said: “The answer to that is no, he was not. However, whether he was present or not is not the issue as all exco members are duty-bound to stand by our collective decision.

“Otherwise, I can decide not to attend a meeting and be absolved of the responsibility to stand by the exco’s decision.”

Khairy said all members could give their views on all matters brought before the executive council.

But once a decision had been taken based on consensus, it was everyone’s responsibility to stand by it as a mark of unity and solidarity, he said.

khairy jamaluddin prime minister abdullah ahmad badawi malaysia umno youth

ECM Libra sues Husam over articles

(The Star) KUALA LUMPUR: Financial advisory firm ECM Libra Bhd has sued PAS vice-president Husam Musa for libel over his two articles on Khairy Jamaluddin’s purchase of a stake in the company.

Also sued is Edisi Prima Sdn Bhd, the publisher of harakahdaily.net which carried the articles.

In the suit dated Jan 17, ECM Libra claimed that the articles published on Dec 29 last year and Jan 9 this year had defamed the deputy Umno Youth chief.

The first article was titled Bagaimana Khairy Membeli Saham ECM Libra (How Khairy Bought ECM Libra Shares) while the second article, Surat Saman ECM Libra Tidak Akan Hentikan Saya – Husam (ECM Libra’s Letter Of Demand Will Not Stop Me – Husam), had allegedly aggravated the damages suffered earlier.

Khairy is ECM Libra Capital Director of Corporate Advisory.

It was announced to Bursa Malaysia last Dec 27 that he bought a 3% stake in the broker and boutique investment house.

It was also announced that Khairy bought about 13 million shares in the firm in separate transactions from ECM Libra chairman Datuk Kalimullah Masheerul Hassan, chief executive officer Lim Kian Onn and chief operating officer Chua Ming Huat.

ECM Libra is seeking a full and unqualified retraction of the articles on the Net and four major dailies, plus damages.

Yesterday, High Court Justice Tee Ah Sing fixed April 20 to hear an inter-parte application for the injunction.

khairy jamaluddin prime minister abdullah ahmad badawi malaysia ecm libra