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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright January 2023
Late Friday night saw Khairy Jamaludin walking into political wilderness yet again.
It happened once before GE15 when he was ejected from his seat in Rembau, struggling to find an alternative before finally settling for the Sungai Buluh constituency where he lost badly.
On Friday night, UMNO Supreme Council fired Khairy Jamaludin, this time dismissing him from his beloved party where his father in law Tun Abdullah Badawi was once a PM.
Khairy was not alone. Noh Omar too was fired and many others were suspended as part of a purge to cleanse the party of members who appeared to be against the leadership.
News reports say, besides the two, UMNO suspended other stalwarts including Hishammuddin Hussein, former UMNO information chief Shahril Hamdan, Fathul Bari Mat Jahya, Maulizan Bujang and Salim Sharif for six years.
Khairy's dismissal has been much anticipated and came as no surprise.
His vocal allegations against the party's leadership claiming that dirty tactics were used to garner support to ensure that the party's top posts were not contested at the recent AGM was obviously unacceptable to them.
However, when the announcement of his dismissal was made, Khairy remained cool briefly responding on his Twitter account saying that "Tonight I was sacked from the party I love, that I have given my utmost loyalty...Unbowed, unbent, unbroken,” he said.
Khairy has been critical about the party’s leadership since 2018 when BN-UMNO lost badly in GE14 for the first time in history.
Soon after, Khairy challenged UMNO President Zahid Hamidi for the presidency which he lost by a narrow margin.
He did not stop his challenge during the days leading to GE15 and continued long after BN’s massive defeat that reduced the party to a mere 30 seats in Parliament.
Along with Khairy, "a total of 44 people has been sacked from UMNO", including former Selangor Umno liaison committee chairman Tan Sri Noh Omar, while Sembrong MP Datuk Seri Hishammudin Hussein, Umno Deputy Youth Chief Shahril Hamdan, Umno Youth Exco Fathul Bari Mat Jahya, former Jempol MP Salim Mohd Sharif and former Johor State Exco Maulizan Bujang has been suspended from the party for six years." (Sinar Daily)
So, what happens now?
It is not likely that Zahid will join PAS which had issued an invitation.
Khairy had said previously and again upon being dismissed Friday night he is loyal to UMNO and remained unbowed, unbent and unbroken.
The three words must have bern directed towards those who intended to break him and bend him to their way of thinking.
Neither does he want to bow willingly to those in leadership whom he regards as undemocratic and unprincipled for refusing to allow a contest for their posts.
He might wander in the political wilderness until he finds his way back.
After all, looking back at previous leaders in UMNO some were left in the wilderness for a while but later returned to lead the party.
Tun Mahathir for instance was sacked by Tunku Abdul Rahman only to return and become PM.
So did Zahid who was sacked by Mahathir along with Anwar but returned with the help of Khairy's father-in-law Tun Abdullah when he became PM. What a conincidence!
Now Zahid has dismissed the son in law of his own rescuer.
If it's any consolation to KJ at this moment when he griefs over his dismissal, take solace in the fact that what goes around comes around.
Be in the wilderness for a while over this heart wrenching experience.
Write a memoir perhaps. It'll sell well.
This is nothing but a test which all great leaders have to go through.
It won't be long before you'll return to the fold victorious hopefully with some Divine Intervention.
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