KJ likely to be sidelined post-GE if he wins Sungai Buloh, says Rafizi

 

If Khairy Jamaluddin were to emerge victorious in Sungai Buloh and contributes to Umno winning the 15th general election (GE15), it will likely end with the minister getting sidelined in his party afterwards, predicts PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.

Rafizi believes Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi sees Khairy as one of his biggest threats in the party.

“I hope the voters of Sungai Buloh understand, one vote for Khairy is one vote for Zahid.

“If Zahid wins, it means Umno wins… and can become government. I hope Sungai Buloh voters understand that there is a big likelihood that Khairy will end up getting chopped.

“Because I don’t see how Zahid will allow Khairy to progress in Umno because Khairy is one of the biggest threats to Zahid,” Rafizi said in a press conference at the PKR headquarters today.

Describing it as ironic, he likened voting for Khairy in Sungai Buloh to giving Zahid a sword to “chop off” Khairy.

“If Umno wins and Zahid becomes prime minister, Khairy is good as gone as a political figure,” Rafizi said.

Khairy was one of the challengers for the Umno presidency back in the 2018 party polls, going up against Zahid and Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

He ultimately came in second in the race, losing to Zahid.

After his loss in the presidential race, Khairy failed to be appointed to any leadership position in the party aside from becoming the Rembau division deputy chief.

The incumbent Rembau MP was also asked to make way for Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan to contest in Rembau this election.

Thus, Khairy ended up becoming Umno/BN’s Sungai Buloh candidate.

PKR also did not retain their incumbent Sungai Buloh MP R Sivarasa, who was replaced with PKR deputy information chief R Ramanan.

‘I prefer to face Khairy’

Rafizi said if he had a choice about who to face in Umno in the future, he would prefer it to be Khairy.

He described Khairy as the only one in Umno/BN who seems interested in policies and in doing their job, without resorting to racial and religious attacks.

PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli

“I want the future politics to focus on competence and policies and not on racial identities and religious bigotry.

“I think if I were to face an opponent from Umno in the future, for the sake of the country, I prefer to face Khairy… I think the country needs that.

“Umno must be brought to the centre so that we don’t get trapped in this religious and racial bigotry generation after generation,” Rafizi said.

While he wishes luck to Khairy for trying to reform Umno, the PKR deputy president said he does not have much confidence that it will happen.

Aside from Khairy being an outcast in Umno, Rafizi claimed Umno has now swung too far right, to the point that everything they do is about racial and religious bigotry.

“If Khairy is trying to reform Umno from the inside, good luck to him, but I hope if and when he does, I think it is good for the country,” he said. - Mkini