It is interesting to hear Khairy announcing that he is going to meet Muhyiddin next week to discuss the possibility of joining Bersatu.
The immediate question it raises is who is Khairy prompting with his announcement. There is no reason for Khairy to telegraph from this week itself that he is going to meet Muhyiddin next week. He could have just as easily announced that he had met Muhyiddin after he had met Muhyiddin.
Khairy announcing that he is going to meet Muhyiddin next week is likely an ultimatum that he is giving to someone from either PH or Umno.
It is him making a Hyman Roth move. In Godfather II, when Hyman Roth and Michael Corleone come to a point of disagreement over a joint venture, Hyman Roth will tell Michael: "I'm going to take a nap. When I wake up, if the money is on the table, I'll know I have a partner. If it isn't, I'll know I don't."
Khairy is probably saying the same thing to someone from Umno or PH with his announcement. He is telling them: "I am going to meet Muhyiddin next week. Before I go, I will check to see if there is an offer on the table. If there is, I know I have a partner. If there isn't, I'll know that I don't."
Is Khairy really going to join Bersatu and PN? Well, all I can say is that if he does indeed join Bersatu and PN, it is likely an emotion based decision. Khairy has said that he has taken personal offence to PH and Umno, for what their leaders and supporters have said against him. Perhaps it is the emotions arising out of these personal grievances that have prompted him to consider joining PN.
If Khairy joins PN, in the short run, Khairy's prospect in PN might be bright. Muhyiddin is likely to offer Khairy a position as the Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan if he helps PN wrest Negeri Sembilan in the coming 6-state elections. Considering the state of limbo that he is currently in, that might be a good offer for Khairy. Khairy can't afford to moonlight as a radio DJ forever. It has already been more than half a year since the last general election is over. If he doesn't do anything politically substantial before the year is over, his stint as a radio DJ might no longer just be a moonlighting stint, but a permanent job.
If Khairy joins PN and heads the campaign for Negeri Sembilan, Negeri Sembilan could fall into the hands of PN. If Negeri Sembilan falls to PN, this could affect Anwar's reign in Putrajaya.
To complete his term, Anwar needs to ensure that the parties in the unity government win at least Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang in the 6-state elections. If Negeri Sembilan falls out of PH's hands, there is a chance that Anwar might end up beating Ismail Sabri as the shortest serving PM in Malaysia.
But other than an emotional reaction, Khairy announcing that he is intending Bersatu could also just be a political gambit. Khairy might actually have no real intention to join PN. He is simply posturing in that manner, to prod someone, who I believe is most likely Anwar, to make him an offer before he crosses the Rubicon next week.
Khairy is ill fitted in PN. The type of leadership that will do well in PN is the type of leadership that is provided by the late Nik Aziz or Narendra Modi of India.
Both Nik Aziz and Narendra Modi have the appearance of the common folk. They identify very intimately and viscerally with their base and grass root. They are also ideologically connected with their followers. They might not be able to do things like speak English very well or discuss knowledgeably things like the economy, climate change or the rise of A.I, but they are able to attract and command capable people who can speak English very well and are experts on the many different fields. They have the character and personality that enables them to gain the trust and respect of capable people even if they themselves might not appear to be very capable, and they have an amazing quality of being able to handle and command capable people without suffering from any feelings of inferiority complex.
Khairy is not a leader in the mould of Nik Aziz or Narendra Modi. In personality and character, he is too singular, and he is also too loosely identified with any ideology to connect with anyone on an ideological basis.
In the short run, he can expect to be the Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan, if he manages to conquer Negeri Sembilan for PN, but even if that comes to pass, it is all going to be downhill from there. Neither Khairy will be able to identify with the supporters of PN, especially the supporters of Pas, nor the supporters of PN will be able to identify with him. You can possess the potential of being the best leader in the world, but if your core followers don't identify with you, you can't lead them for long. That is the bottom line.
Khairy however, might be running out of options and time. The 6-state election is the only time that he can expect an offer from either PH or PN. Once the 6 state election passes, Khairy might find no other option, other than start his open party, which is a prospect that is fraught with uncertainty and risks. He has to make his move now, simply because now is the only time he has to make a move. If he doesn't get a reasonable offer from PH before the 6-state elections are announced, he has to choose PN, if he wishes to save his political career.
Having Khairy on its side will almost certainly tilt the result of the 6 state election in PH's favour. Anwar is arguably the most widely accepted PM of Malaysia at present times, and Khairy is generally seen as the most likely PM candidate of Malaysia in the future. If Anwar's administration secures both the present and the future, Anwar will be in a great position to defeat PN in a decisive manner in the upcoming 6-state elections. PN will be pushed to their home base in the north and south of the peninsular, and Anwar will likely not face anymore trouble from them until his term ends in 2027.
It might, however, be a little difficult for Anwar to make a favourable offer to Khairy. after being pushed to the point by an ultimatum from Khairy. It is one thing to make a good offer to someone who bends the knees, but it is a whole other thing to make it to someone who has twisted your arms.
But as the proverbs say: "Ikut rasa, binasa. Ikut hati, mati."
Anwar can follow his feelings, and risk a possible setback in the 6-state election, that might deliver a debilitating blow to his reign in Putrajaya, or he can be pragmatic and put his feelings aside.
Let us see if emotions or reason that shall reign this coming week.
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