YOURSAY | Khairy should join and reform Bersatu

 

YOURSAY | ’He can also moderate PAS to make it electable for non-Muslims’

COMMENT | KJ conundrum - reinvented messiah or opportunist?

Koel: It is sad how much Joe Public is willing to give these men (like former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin) a chance to prove themselves to be better human beings. Sadder still is how often the arrogance and greed in these politicians overcome whatever goodness there is.

These individuals could do so much for their country if they could rise above parties and themselves. But Khairy is a politician, nurtured in an entitled and privileged system - a system that he has been trained to work to his benefit in his time in Umno.

He probably has the potential to be a decent statesperson - of which we saw glimpses in recent times. But the conditioning of his class and race may constantly interfere to prevent that decency from surfacing adequately.

So just prepare for disappointment. As with most things in this young country, a country with so much potential - were it not for its shallow and petty politicians and elites.

Proarte: What is the point of having Khairy join DAP when they are silent on issues such as the constitutional rights of non-Muslims? These rights are being trampled on and denied by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Madani government as exemplified by Anwar's response that the term “Allah” can be used in Sarawak but not in West Malaysia.

What is the point of joining the Madani government when it singles out vulnerable minority groups like the LGBT for humiliation and persecution as the Swatch raid exemplified?

Worse still, Anwar revealed the raid was not about the LGBT rainbow colours but about having LGBT printed on the dial face of the watches which turned out to be a blatant lie.

I think Khairy should join Bersatu and reform it if he can. He can also moderate PAS to make it electable for the non-Muslims which happened in the past under Pakatan Rakyat.

I am a Malaysian: "In short, we need all the help we can get. Khairy is one of those leaders who can be a barometer of change and I would be fascinated to see a reinvented progressive Khairy carving out a new direction."

Don’t hold your breath, Malaysiakini’s Martin Vengadesan, after your own rather astute prognosis of Khairy's dubious political record of the past, it will need a miracle to see him riding up as a white knight to save the nation.

Or does former DAP MP Ong Kian Ming know the real Khairy (to still speak highly of him) that we don’t?

Clever Voter: In the land of the blind, Khairy as the one-eyed jack is the king. Anyway, those who track his career can confirm his break in politics came during former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s administration.

Khairy as Umno Youth chief was equally a disgrace during his initial days. He needs a sponsor if he wants a fast track. And that is not guaranteed even in Bersatu.

He needs to translate his rhetorical stand into tangible contributions. His performance as health minister is not free from criticism. In short, many remain unconvinced. He needs to show the money. Until then, he remains a first impression that doesn't last.

Bad Captain: What's all the ball in your court fuss about? Khairy is a true-blooded Umno loyalist. He won't be joining any other parties. Period! All he must do is stay relevant and joining Hot FM is a brilliant strategy.

He will reform the party when the time is right, with no rush, no pressure, and let the big boys fight it out. By staying neutral, he gets the endorsement of the rakyat, things will even out by themselves. Khairy isn't overthinking the issue so why are you so busybody?

Don’tGetMeWrong: Khairy has the intelligence and calibre to be a progressive leader if he chooses the right party. The purging from Umno is the divine move for him to reinvent himself whether to be right or left.

Progressive Malay leaders need to have the courage to lock horns with religious bigots before Malaysia ends up in the dark ages.

TC: When one writes about Khairy, it is always him doing a good job as a health minister. My foot, nobody has yet gone and dug into why vaccines are so expensive, why were they over-purchased, and why the offer of free Sinovac vaccines was rejected in the beginning.

Compared to the “drink hot water” minister, maybe, Khairy is like the one-eye jack in the blind world. What’s the beef about a one-eyed chap helping develop a country? We must be nuts.

MS: I'm confused, Martin. On the one hand, you present a persuasive case about Khairy's stubbornly race-bound instincts and then hold out the hope that he will be a "barometer of change".

Khairy will be Khairy- loyal to the darkest strains of “ketuananism” (supremacist) and little else. His uncommon fluency in English provides him just enough cover to fool delusional non-Malays desperately seeking someone to save the country from endemic thievery and bigotry.

MyTwoCents: De we want a leader who publicly stabbed his own party president (Ahmad Zahid Hamidi), or those who tried to get others to sign a statutory declaration supporting their party’s enemy, PN?

If you disagree with your party president - ethics dictate you resign. Khairy is an opportunist and has no integrity though he's an effective minister.

Malaysia cannot afford such lapses in integrity. - Mkini