Khairy is to me what Nurul Izzah is not.
In my previous articles about Nurul Izzah, my main complain about Nurul Izzah is that she doesn't seem like she wants to win.
Although she has stepped into the political field for almost a year, it doesn't look like her eyes are on the ball.
It doesn't look like she is studying the game.
She doesn't seem to be investigating what everybody else in the field are up to.
She doesn't seem to be the least bit interested in finding a way to score as goal and win the game.
All she seems to be interested in doing is the bare minimum, like the only thing she cares about is to not be blamed when her team, the one that is depending on her to lead them to victory when her father falters, loses.
Khairy on the other hand, is the exact opposite of Nurul Izzah.
Even after he was thrown out of the game for four years, he never took his eyes off the ball .
He does more than just study the game - he shapes himself after the game - he becomes whatever winning the game needs him to be. In Malay, what Khairy has is called "wibawa". A person with wibawa can change and transform themselves into winners. A person without wibawa on the other hand, can't help being themselves, even if being themselves will condemn them into being losers.
He is also perpetually observing what everybody in the game is up to , and calculating their chances of getting what they want . This is why Khairy was the first to realise that Zahid might be the next PM of Malaysia, and as soon as he realised it , he has rejoined Zahid Hamidi's Umno without conditions.
Khairy also has been single mindedly aiming to score the winning goal and win the game for decades.
He likely married Pak Lah's daughter to score the goal and win the game.
When that did not work, he bid his time under Najib to get in the position to score the goal and win the game.
When that did not work, he challenged Zahid to lead Umno to score the goal and win the game.
When that angered Zahid to the point that Zahid would send him to be killed in Sg Buloh in the 2022 elections, he fought tooth and nail against the odds and came close to seizing victory from the jaws of defeat in Sg Buloh.
Although he lost in Sg Buloh , he would still try to push Zahid out after the elections, which led to Zahid expelling him from Umno.
Although he was expelled and condemned to roam in the political wilderness for 4 years as a podcast host, it was clear that he was waiting for Zahid to bite the dust so that he can return to umno .
When it looks like Zahid was not only not going to bite the dust , but become the 11th pm of Malaysia, he then swallowed his ego and kissed Zahid's hand to return to Umno.
Unlike Nurul Izzah, who is just looking for an excuse to give herself as to why she should not be blamed if her team loses, Khairy is willing to accept any blame, as long as he wins.
He didn't care what people said about him marrying his way to the PM post.
He doesn't care about what people are saying about him kissing Zahid's hand and returning to umno now, just to participate in the coming election.
As Rafizi just said - it doesn't matter to Khairy whether he is in PH or PN or BN - as long as he wins. Indeed , that is my view of Khairy too - I see Khairy as a winner too.
If I could describe Khairy in two words, it is that he has "Arjuna's eyes".
In the Mahabharata, Arjuna is the greatest warrior of them all.
The reason why he became the greatest warrior of them all, is given in a childhood anecdote of him.
When Arjuna was a young prince, he, as well as the other princes of the Kuru dynasty were sent to Drona for training.
On one occasion, Drona will place a wooden bird on the branch of a faraway tree and order the princes in his charge to shoot down the bird with an arrow.
When the princes strung an arrow in their bow, before they could fire, Drona will ask them to stop.
As they held the strings of their bow taut, one by one Drona will approach the princes , to ask them what they see.
Some of the princes will say that they are seeing a way to avoid the trees and branches that are blocking the path of their arrow, while others will say that they are seeing which way the wind is blowing to time their release. Some will say they are seeing how the other princes's arrow will fare before deciding how they should release their own arrow, while others will say that they that see their hands trembling , after holding the string of the bow taut for so long, and wonder whether it is better to to take break before they release their arrow.
After listening to what all of these princes had to say, Drona will order all of them to stand down.
Finally, he will approach Arjuna, to ask Arjuna , what he sees.
Without hesitation, Arjuna will answer : " I see the eye of the bird, teacher."
"Do you not see the boughs and branches that block your way, " Drona will continue asking.
"I see the eye of the bird," Arjuna will answer unwaveringly.
"Do you not see the way the wind is blowing or want to see how the other princes arrow will fare, " Drona will ask again.
"I see the eye of the bird," Arjuna will answer again, with eyes fixed on the target.
"Do you not see that your hands are tired and you might need to rest before you release the arrow," Drona will ask one final time.
"I see only the eye of the bird, teacher," Arjuna will answer without a doubt.
Arjuna is the only student that Drona will allow to take the shot, and arjuna will succeed in his first try .
If politicians are a species, then Khairy belongs to the genus winners, and amongst winners, he belongs in the same category as Mahathir and Anwar.
Just like Anwar is the son that Mahathir never had, Khairy is the son that Anwar never had.
I don't say this in praise of Khairy by the way - if you have noticed , although I also see Mahathir and Anwar as winners, I don't often have much good things to say about them in my articles.
Other than Khairy, Anwar and Mahathir, I also see people like Trump as winners. To me, winners are capable of doing more harm than good, especially when they don't hold on to principles with strength , and winners generally have a dubious record to holding on to any principles with strength - their desire to win is so strong, that it regularly sweeps them away from their commitment to any principles.
But I will say this, between a good person with too many weaknesses , and a winner with not too many vices, I think it is better to choose the winner.
The winner, as long as their vices are under control, can at least be counted to bring the nation success, even if they can't really be counted to bring the nation happiness .
The good person who is weak on the other, can not only not be counted to bring anyone - even themselves - any happiness, they will most certainly lead themselves and everyone around them to defeat. '
Before I end however, I would like to add that although Arjuna was the epics greatest warrior, he was not the leader of his team.
The leader of his team was Yudhisthira, who was amongst the least celebrated warrior of the epic.
Yudhisthira was seen as the better leader, because he was a good person, and it is always better to choose a good person than a strong one, as long as the good person is not too weak.
And also, Arjuna was also quite self centered and egoistical person in his younger days - judging by what he did to such figures as Karna and Ekalavya - and it was likely his self absorption and ego that led to himself and his brothers to be stripped of their princehood and privileges, and live in exile for 13 years.
It is only after he was chastened and humbled by his life in exile, that Arjuna will return as the wiser and humbler hero that we remember him as today, who rose to the occasion when the times required it.
Khairy just returned to umno today, after spending the last 4 years in political exile . I wish him the best.
As the old world order ends, I think it is high time that a new generation of leaders emerge, to ready us for a new world, that is on the cusp of forming.
Old leaders like Anwar, Zahid or Hamzah are beautifully equipped to lead us to live in a time that has long passed and a world that no longer exists.
They are not fit to lead us to face what is facing us. They have to go.
Amongst those that the nation is counting on, in this twilight of the world era, where the death of the old world and the birth pangs of a new one is going to shake the foundation of our nation, Khairy is one.
If it is indeed him that Fate and Fortune has in store for us in these troubled times, let us hope that he will not disappoint.
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