Former Health Minister and Rembau Member of Parliament (MP) Khairy Jamaluddin has reportedly received the green light to rejoin UMNO and is expected to make his comeback before the Sabah State Election (PRN) at the end of next month.
He’s said to have gotten the “blessing” of UMNO’s top leadership, particularly its president, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, to return to the party.
Khairy Jamaluddin
He has yet to submit an official application to rejoin the party
According to Berita Harian, the green light was personally given to Khairy by the Deputy Prime Minister during the wedding of Perlis UMNO Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Rozabil Abdul Rahman’s daughter last Sunday (26 October).
In January 2023, Khairy was kicked out of UMNO after openly criticising the party’s top leadership during the 15th General Election (GE15) campaign. Despite that, he’s repeatedly said he won’t join any other party, staying loyal to UMNO.
“At the meeting, Zahid personally told Khairy to submit his membership form to rejoin UMNO. Khairy is also expected to assist UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) in their campaign for the upcoming Sabah state election, as several of the party’s candidates are around his age and long-time political peers,” the source said.
The source added that Khairy is also being considered as a possible BN candidate in the next General Election (GE), likely to contest in the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat.
He has yet to submit an official application to rejoin the party
Meanwhile, another party insider said that, as of now, UMNO hasn’t received any official application from the former Health Minister to rejoin the party.
His return to UMNO is expected to bring fresh energy to the party as it works to win back Malay support, especially from the younger generation.
UMNO
Khairy first joined the Cabinet under Datuk Seri Najib Razak as Youth and Sports Minister, where he earned praise for successfully managing the 2017 SEA Games and introducing the National Sports Council’s Podium Program to help Malaysia achieve its Olympic gold dream.
He later served as Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, where he played a key role in developing the MySejahtera app and overseeing the country’s vaccine procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the ninth Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Khairy took on the role of Health Minister, leading the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.
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This post first appeared on WORLD OF BUZZ.