Umno purge: No surprise KJ sacked, says Pak Lah’s former advisor

PETALING JAYA: The sacking of former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin by Umno is not a surprise, says Datuk Seri Kalimullah Masheerul Hassan.

The former advisor to former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that the action makes Umno irrelevant and it may be better for Khairy if the former Rembau MP wanted to stay in politics.

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“Umno has become almost totally irrelevant anyway and perhaps it’s better for Khairy - if he wants to remain in politics - to branch out on his own.

“After all, he’s only 47 (years old).

“Tun Mahathir Mohamad was sacked at 45 (years old) and came back as Prime Minister. Twice.

“Anwar Ibrahim was sacked by Umno and Mahathir at 50 and came back as Prime Minister after 24 years.

“Khairy? Who knows," he said in an Instagram post on Saturday (Jan 28).

Kalimullah added that the current Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan are unlikely to become prime ministers despite having eliminated Umno's great hopes.

ALSO READ: Wave of shock hits Selangor Umno

“Coincidentally, when Zahid was arrested and sidelined by Mahathir and Umno for being Anwar’s supporter in 1998, it was Khairy’s father-in-law Abdullah Badawi (then the deputy prime minister) who intervened with Mahathir and brought Zahid back into the fold.

“I know that because Pak Lah’s press secretary Kamarulzaman Zainal and I helped Zahid prepare his ‘comeback’ press statement.

“Tok Mat was chief executive officer of Cycle and Carriage and was picked by Pak Lah (then prime minister) to be Negri Sembilan mentri besar in 2004.

“And now both of them sacked his son-in-law?

“Obviously KJ must have done something unforgivable - like criticising Zahid and Tok Mat?” he said.

Kalimullah added that he was glad that Ahmad Badawi did not get to see what was happening.

“In that sense, I am glad Pak Lah has dementia and cannot see all this happening.

“Anyway, as I said, what’s there to be surprised about?

“It’s very rare to see gratitude or humility or a real democrat in Malaysian politics,” he said.

On Friday (Jan 27), Umno started its purge, having sacked Khairy, who is former Umno Youth chief and supreme council member Tan Sri Noh Omar.

Others punished included former vice-president and Sembrong MP Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who was suspended for six years.

Former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan, former Youth exco member Datuk Dr Fathul Bari Mat Jahya, former Johor state exco member and Tebrau Umno division chief Datuk Maulizan Bujang and former Jempol MP Datuk Seri Mohd Salim Mohd Shariff were also suspended for six years.