Crisis in UMNO’s Youth Wing?
February 17, 2010
UMNO Youth and Khairy Jamaluddin
by By G. Manimaran and Adib Zalkapli
The UMNO Youth executive committee will meet Datuk Seri Najib Razak this evening amid rumours of attempts by certain leaders from the wing to unseat its chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
An UMNO Youth committee member confirmed the scheduled meeting but described it as a “courtesy visit” and has nothing to do with the heated exco meeting that took place late last month. During that meeting, UMNO Youth exco Hishamuddin Yahya was said to have told Khairy to quit for being ineffective.
Hishamuddin had also called for fresh election to choose a more effective line-up of Youth leaders. “The meeting was a place for us to address our differences, there is some truth to what was leaked but it is still not too serious, let us meet the PM first,” an UMNO Youth exco member said on condition of anonymity.
Another UMNO Youth insider said the visit to the party president had been planned since the last party election and it was only a coincidence that the date was confirmed after the heated meeting.
The Malaysian Insider understands some UMNO Youth exco members were also unhappy with the stand taken by Khairy on the “Allah” row and the attacks on the places of worship.
“He should have called for an emergency exco meeting for us to deliberate on a common stand and not act all by himself,” said another UMNO Youth exco member.
Khairy had reportedly said UMNO has been straying from middle ground on the issue. He also supported the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims in East Malaysia but not in the Peninsula.
The consensus among UMNO Youth leaders opposed to Khairy’s leadership was that the first-term Rembau MP has failed to bring together supporters of Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo and Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, whom he defeated during party election in March last year.
But after report of the rift surfaced, Khairy made known on his Facebook status that he was attending an Umno Youth function in Labuan with Hishamuddin.
Days later, he appeared together with Mukhriz at a Juara Rakyat event in Jerlun, Kedah, and several pictures of them were also uploaded on Khairy’s facebook page.
Khairy, who is former prime minister and UMNO president Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s son-in-law, is the first UMNO Youth chief in many years not to get a Cabinet post. The only other one in recent history is Datuk Ahmaf Zahid Hamidi in 1993.
His deputy Datuk Razali Ibrahim was made the deputy youth and sports minister after Najib took over the government last year while Mukhriz was appointed deputy minister of international trade and industry. Khairy himself will prove his credentials this morning by leading the wing to send a protest note to the Australian High Commission over calls by 50 Australian MPs to Putrajaya to drop the sodomy charges against Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Malay rights group Perkasa will send a similar protest note at 10am, 30 minutes after the UMNO Youth leader is scheduled to hand the wing’s protest memorandum.
Finally, cracks within UMNO and ground zero is its Youth Wing, the training ground for future Prime Ministers.
Mr Bean - February 17, 2010 at 9:58 am
” Khairy himself will prove his credentials this morning by leading the wing to send a protest note to the Australian High Commission over calls by 50 Australian MPs to Putrajaya to drop the sodomy charges against Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Malay rights group Perkasa will send a similar protest note at 10am, 30 minutes after the UMNO Youth leader is scheduled to hand the wing’s protest memorandum.”
Such xenophobic outpourings by groups with vested interests to protect are not alien to Malaysia.
Mr Bean - February 17, 2010 at 10:07 am
so whats new ?
rubiah lubis - February 17, 2010 at 11:38 am
We now have two groups with almost identical objectives wanting to outperform the other. One is led by the frog prince from Kelantan the other the one-time pretender to the Umno throne from Rembau.
In Ipoh Zambry, another pretender to the Umno Perak throne, threw a CNY open house party to show Perakeans that he’s more Chinese than the Chinese in DAP, MCA and Gerakan altogether.
Those who attended Zambry’s open house party had a good makan courtesy of the rakyat’s money.
It’s one sandiwara after another.
Will the charades ever end? Not likely. Not when the stakes are high and “maruah” is fit only for the dogs.
Political intrigues have transcended the realm of reality in Bolehland.
Tok Cik - February 17, 2010 at 11:54 am
KJ should join his idol and lead AMK with shine instead. Pemuda and the whole of Umno would be glad to see the back of him.
His participation at the Australian High Commission was at the 11th hour, sending SMS to gather all pemuda, which happen to be a real turn-off to most people.
Carlos - February 17, 2010 at 12:26 pm
UMNO Youth, like many so-called UMNO Warlords, are stuck in the 1 gear Ali Baba “got contract” mentality. And when their leader can’t deliver to the rent seekers, the smell of rebeliion is in the air!!
Hail to LGE, Penang and the CAT policy. Work hard and be honest or DIE!!
dpp
We are all of 1 race, the Human Race
donplaypuks - February 17, 2010 at 12:38 pm
If Khairy can pull thru this round unscatched , then he is of a special breed and the future bodes well for him as one of the “Malay” elites. Otherwise he will be history, like Mr Najib & Khir Toyo
backStreetGluttons - February 17, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Kalau sekadar isu dalam Pemuda UMNO itu untuk digunakan bagi memesongkan fokus kepada masalah besar dalam PKR itu sendiri – rasanya cubaan itu tidak berjaya.
Cuba lagi lain kali.
kluangman - February 17, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Bean,
What finally cracking? It’s been cracking all the while. Now, Moo vs Murujib. Plus Mukhriz & KJ howling nearby.
Just like Abdul Rahim Ishak said in the faithful day on 27th May, 1969, why whacking PAP if PAP indeed neglecting the melayus. Abdul Rahim went on further saying kami berpegang teguh di bawah PAP & kami percaya kalau ada pertandingan yang adil, PAP boleh membela nasib orang2 melayu terutamanya di bandar. LKY went on the bahasa speech that frighten the top UMNO echolen. Plenty of melayu MPs was convinced.
Days later Singapore was expelled. Pre-emptive move by Tunku by destroying Malaysia Solidarity Movement.
Bean,
If you go into history, whatever Anwar has mentioned is nothing new. It’s been mentioned all along. Just that people were still blind.
If MSC was a success, Malaysia would have been a developed country before the 21st century. Richer than even Hong Kong itself…….Wasted
looes74 - February 17, 2010 at 4:18 pm
looes74,
What cracks?? The cracks exposed for all to see when you wear sagging pants. Those cracks …! Crack heads? No, that’s something else.
Mr Bean - February 17, 2010 at 8:06 pm
” ….. PAP boleh membela nasib orang2 melayu terutamanya di bandar. LKY went on the bahasa speech that frighten the top UMNO echolen. Plenty of melayu MPs was convinced.
Days later Singapore was expelled. Pre-emptive move by Tunku by destroying Malaysia Solidarity Movement.”
The treatment of minorities (read: Malays) is key where S’pore is concerned. It is an island state located in a sea of green and it is nonsensical nonsense to adopt a dismissive attitude.LKY is not stupid. After all he has double firsts from Cambridge. He was an ambitious politician and a visionary leader who saw ahead of others that the island cannot stand alone, that one day some sort of union would form. There’s more to benefit from cooperation then simply being a political and economic adversary.
Threatened with race riots, Tunku felt a cooling off period was needed. It is not unlike the situation involving the door to door salesman who sells you stuff through what we recognize as pressure selling. A law is needed giving you the purchaser the option to rescind the contract within seven or so days. It was the same cooling off period facing leaders then. Only that it has gone from seven years to decades.
Mr Bean - February 17, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Frank,
That cannot be all. You need some fancy titles to go with your newly found wealth. What’s the going rate these days for Tuns, Tan Sris and Datuks? You need these when you travel first class on MAS. Datos or Datuks don’t mean much these days. Baby boomers have flooded the market turning grandfathers otherwise referred to as datuks, by the thousands each day.
Mr Bean - February 18, 2010 at 5:31 am
ooops wrong thread
Mr Bean - February 18, 2010 at 5:31 am