Khairy Jamaluddin may be hedging his bets by flirting with Perikatan Nasional, but his heart still belongs to Umno.
That was the view of Associate Professor Dr Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk, who said Khairy’s political future would depend on Umno’s performance in the state elections, most likely in August.
Umno sacked Khairy on Jan 27 for “violating party discipline”.
“He is being calculative and leaving his options open,” said Azeem, who added that the former health minister could return to Umno if Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi steps down as president.
That could happen if Umno fares poorly in the state polls in Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu.
“There is a high possibility that Umno will not win many seats in the state elections. If that happens, members will question Zahid’s leadership,” said Azeem.
“If Zahid relinquishes his position, there is a possibility that Khairy could rejoin the party. That could be why he is hesitant about joining Perikatan Nasional.”
In the past month, Khairy has met with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Perikatan Nasional chairman, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who reportedly offered him a seat in Bersatu’s Supreme Council. Muhyiddin is Bersatu president.
Although Khairy initially rejected the invitation, Muhyiddin asked him to reconsider. Khairy had said that he would think about it.
Khairy said that he would not join any party before the upcoming state elections, but he did indicate that he would be ‘sympathetic’ towards Perikatan Nasional candidates.
Yesterday, Khairy said Kuantan MP Wan Razali Wan Nor’s complaint that nurses’ uniforms were too tight and not Syariah-compliant, did not represent the views of the Islamic party.
He added that the “new” Pas has members who were engineers, lawyers, and bankers.
Khairy also said the behaviour of Pakatan Harapan’s cybertroopers, whom he claimed spread narratives based on false information, was the cause of his “uneasiness” with the coalition.
