The regrets of the UMNO Youth Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin is too little and too late.
Khairy wishes that he had told former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak about how the grassroots had rejected Umno following the sacking of Muhyiddin Yassin and Mohd Shafie Apdal.
“We didn’t want to bell the cat,” the Umno Youth chief told Channel News Asia.
“Nobody, after Muhyiddin was purged, after Shafie was purged… Nobody wanted to acknowledge we have a problem. That was a terrible mistake on our part.
“Was there a signal? Yes, there were clear signals but we became oblivious to the signals.
“This must not happen again, we must not ever allow our leaders in Umno to be detached from reality and not ask tough questions. If we continue with our feudal mindset of protecting the leader from the truth, Umno will go extinct.”
Is Khairy now prepared to bell the cat? Has he seen “clear signals” now?
Apparently not, for is as clear as day that Khairy is studiously avoiding the issue of 1MDB scandal and Malaysia being tarred with the epithet of a global kleptocracy.
Is Khairy prepared to accept the verdict of the Malaysian voters, regardless of race, religion and region in the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018 and their strong judgment against the 1MDB scandal and Malaysia suffering international odium and ignominy for degenerating into a “global kleptocracy” under his watch in the past three years?
Will Khairy make amends and requisition the UMNO Supreme Council and the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council to meet urgently, and all former Ministers and MPs, to tender abject public apology for their betrayal of the nation’s trust in not speaking up against the 1MDB scandal and when Malaysia was stained with the epithet of “global kleptocracy”?
(Media Statement in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 16th March 2018)
#1 by Jeffrey on Wednesday, 16 May 2018 - 9:24 am
No point crying over spilled milk. Had KJ “belled the cat” he wouldn’t have galvanized any support for change from rest of the flock cocooned within political culture and narrative thought invincible for 60 years: he would have ended up sacked like Muhyiddin & Shafie and maybe better for him, now on the PH side in govt!. Mere change of party leader does not change political culture and narrative of rest of party. He said UMNO needs to defend itself against de-registration of the party for failing to hold party elections. However if political culture and narrative of the group cannot or would take too long to change, then de-registration may well be an easier way for him to found a new party based on a more inclusive Malaysian platform, unsullied by legacy of previous brand already rendered toxic.
#2 by Bigjoe on Wednesday, 16 May 2018 - 10:18 am
Khairy “regrets” are no regrets at all. He miscalculated and what condemns him is that both Muhiyiddin and Shafie Apdal DID not – both of them actually calculated the risk to UMNO/BN as the basis of their fighting Najib.
UMNO/BN has a bleak future if it still refuse to face to its problem. KJ is struggling to keep it together but he cannot do it by jumping ahead to excuse their problem before deep self-examination..Its understandable the young bucks want the top leadership change – mostly because they want to take over and ignorant BUT for KJ, he knows very well the problem of UMNO/BN is very deep seated, goes to its very core being rotten. A couple of hundred billion ringgit of additional obligations not disclosed publicly is prove the core of UMNO/BN is rotten. You cannot rebuilt if you refuse to dig deep and gut it all out..
Again. the first test for UMNO/BN as opposition is whether they will work with PH to redraw the constituency to reflect a true balance of the nation and the future envisioned by Tunku – of a multi-racial and liberal state.
#3 by SuperStringhg on Wednesday, 16 May 2018 - 10:52 am
UMNO must be allowed to be thrown into the dustbin of history and a new party with the right mindset to rise. Just like militarist Japan was demolished in the second world war, a new democratic Japan rise with vigor and democracy.
#4 by good coolie on Thursday, 17 May 2018 - 1:15 pm
How did we become a dictatorship, where democracy was just a sham? When did Parliamentary representatives become mere rubber stamps of UMNO (that shell of the old UMNO of Merdeka-days)?
Leaders of political parties kiss each other one day, then keris each other the next, then kiss each other again. The days of Sukarno-like speeches are gone. I hope demagoguery is dead because it is a sharp and wieldy weapon that can turn against justice and true reformasi. “Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,…” (Desiderata)
The most important thing is that, finally, Malaysians have learnt to change their government. Gomen is not the voice of God. Cash is not king! Respect the Rakyat, We warn you!