Umno will still support Malaysia’s unity government if I’m president: Khairy Jamaluddin

SINGAPORE - A change in Umno leadership will not necessarily create political instability in Malaysia, said the country’s former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who pledged that should he or his allies win the presidency in the upcoming party polls, they will still support

the Pakatan Harapan-led unity government.

 

But as to whether he would throw his hat into the ring this time for the party’s top job, he said: “I’m still thinking about it.”

“There are rumours (of) a move to ensure the top two positions will not be contested. We hope this is not the case,” said Mr Khairy, referring to earlier suggestions by some Umno members that party president Zahid Hamidi and deputy president Mohamad Hasan should not be challenged in this vote to avoid further internal split.

The matter will be discussed during the Umno general assembly from Wednesday to Saturday. The party election has to be held by May. 

“I want to make sure that at this week’s gathering, there is no motion that will prevent the top two positions in my party from being open for contests,” said Mr Khairy, calling such a move “highly undemocratic”. 

He also said this election is “absolutely critical” for the future of Umno, as it is “about the 3Rs: to reform, to get relevant or to rest in peace”.

The 47-year-old noted how the seats won by the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition fell from 198 in the 2004 elections to 30 in

last year’s national polls.

“No self-respecting party, seeing such a deterioration of support, will not ask serious questions about the leadership of that party,” he said at the Regional Outlook Forum, organised by ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. 

While there are Umno members who are satisfied with Deputy Prime Minister Zahid’s ability to co-opt Umno in the unity government, Mr Khairy said one “must not underestimate the undercurrent within our members, who are reflecting on where we are today”.

The former three-term MP for Rembau, who lost in a seven-cornered fight in Sungai Buloh in the last election, also took a dig at himself for being a “loser”, when he talked about his 2018 bid for Umno’s presidency against party bigwigs Zahid and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. 

Mr Khairy also congratulated fellow panellist Anthony Loke for being appointed transport minister, before quipping: “Congratulations for having Zahid Hamidi as your boss.”

Besides speaking at the forum, Mr Loke also met his Singapore counterpart S. Iswaran and Education Minister Chan Chun Sing. He said he would meet former transport minister Khaw Boon Wan to learn how the latter tackled Singapore’s MRT issue and managed to improve rail reliability.

Mr Loke said Malaysia must focus on maintaining political stability, which provides the foundation for economic development and a chance to improve the livelihoods of its citizens.

“We have four prime ministers in five years, and that’s more than Singapore in 50 years,” he said, drawing laughs from the audience, adding: “We are not proud of it, as it’s a sign of political instability.”

He said while the Pakatan Harapan-led unity government now looks strong in terms of numbers, with a two-thirds majority in Parliament, the Umno party polls and the six state elections, which must be held by July, may be destabilising factors. 

The Democratic Action Party secretary-general said the coalition government must try to win more seats in the northern states of Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah, where the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, which includes Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and Parti Islam SeMalaysia, has a strong voter base. 

Former CIMB chairman and chief executive Nazir Razak, who spoke at another panel, also stressed the importance of political stability in order to present the investment case for Malaysia.

Tan Sri Nazir said both foreign and domestic investors that he spoke to have voiced concerns about the possibility of a shift of power to a PAS-dominated government.

The founder of private equity fund Ikhlas Capital said he hopes the rise of PAS is a wake-up call for moderate Malays in the country.