UMNO Youth

UMNO's election will be next. The UMNO Youth race will be interesting to watch where outgoing PM's famous son-in-law will take on Datuk Seri Mohamed Khir bin Toyo, the former Selangor MB and Tun Dr Mahathir's son, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir.

KT shot to stardom when Tun Dr Mahathir, who have not met Dr Khir before, appointed him as the new Selangor MB in 2000.

KT remained as MB of Selangor till 2008. He led UMNO and Barisan Nasional to an election defeat in Selangor in March 2008. KT then resigned as the Chief to claim full responsibility, although he is still the State Opposition leader.

He lost in a state which news media claimed with strong words that sounded "a sure win". After losing Selangor, there were many reports circulating such as the Mont Blanc pen and the current legal tussle with Teresa Kok, with the support of leaders from her own Pakatan Rakyat and especially PAS when it comes to the Islamic issues.

Khairy Jamaluddin, if Syed Hussein Al Attas' book is to be taken true, will have to win this election at all costs. Otherwise, the analysis by several political analysts that KJ will be the youngest PM at the age of 40, will not come true.

And perhaps, KJ might be out in the cold storage for a very long time.

KJ's rise to power was not democratic. He was "handed" the job by Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Onn. UMNO members and the general public surely remember when KJ took the stage at the assembly, he was jeered.

Over the years, KJ made controversial and questionable statements, some conflicting too. Read it HERE.

The Rembau MP face a challenging election, at a time when Pak Lah will retire as President of UMNO with a list of issues clouding over him. These issues include

• the Oil for Food scandal


• the Scomi deals - KTM, RapidKL


• Datuk Kamaluddin and the nuclear fuselage


• ECM Libra-Avenue Capital merger


• Islam Hadhari


• Datuk Kalimullah who failed a Special Branch security clearance and allowed to be in the circle of power in control of the media


• Datuk Patrick Lim with the Perth home, Equine Capital, Monsoon Cup , Terengganu development, and Penang properties


• the Fourth Floor boys

KJ was in the news all these while for being involved with the Fourth Floor, ECM Libra - Avenue Capital merger, and many more.

These indirectly put KJ in the spotlight as the most powerful son-in-law. Leaders from within the ruling Government and Opposition have frequently questioned Pak Lah's Government for allowing the involvement of family members.

KJ will need to battle it out and show why he is worthy of being the new UMNO Youth Chief. UMNO members will be evaluating KJ based on track record and his years as the famous son in law.

We shall wait and see how KJ fights for his political career this time all by himself, given that Pak Lah has lost a lot of support inside UMNO.

Being the son of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir, many expects Datuk Mukhriz to be like his father, or at least have the similar traits.

True enough, although Datuk Mukhriz was passed around the state of Kedah like a hot potato for the candidacy as MP in Kubang Pasu, Langkawi and finally Jerlun, Datuk Mukhriz lived up to expectations.

He won the seat in Kedah where the "March tsunami" was greatly felt. In times when the country needed a change of leadership, many were still in a state of denial and continued to support Pak Lah - till the term "yes men" came to the scene to categorize these people.

Datuk Mukhriz together with leaders like Datuk Seri Rais Yatim did not follow the voice of the majority in Government and in UMNO. They were vocal and voiced out on many occasions.

Given the bravery of Datuk Mukhriz together with the influence of Tun Dr M, he is now in the forefront of UMNO Youth.

Who will win the UMNO Youth race?