Khairy Jamaluddin - Scapegoat Or Evil Architect?

The answer to the above depends on whom you are talking to, and where they are at, when talking to you.

KJ may be deified by some langsat polisher in one place and yet be character assassinated on the same day by the same person at another more private surrounding. For such are the devious ways of political players.

Way before Dr M started his tirade, there have been many stories, rumours and innuendoes about the disproportionate hold he has over the executive branch of government. The most explicit and comprehensive revelations since July 2005 were in Raja Petra's Malaysia Today's The Khairy Chronicles.

While some even then dismissed the writings as Raja Petra's fertile imagination it seems that now many constantly refer to his Khairy Chronicle Archives to get a better insight into KJ's psyche.

This is what Raja Petra wrote in 2005: The person who perhaps is most wary of Khairy is former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. While Dr Mahathir himself at first warmed to Khairy and his friends, appointing for example Khairy’s bosom buddy from Oxford, Dr Vincent Lim Kian Teck, as his second Chinese political secretary, he eventually found Khairy an overbearing presence upon Abdullah.

But at that time it was already too late. Mahathir had announced his retirement and Abdullah Badawi was the heir-designate. For whatever bad that Mahathir had done, he knew he could not afford to change his mind on the succession after the crippling failure of the removal of Anwar Ibrahim. So Khairy was kept on in the Deputy Prime Minister’s office in spite of Mahathir’s misgivings.

Mahathir turned red when Khairy Jamaluddin asked him in a Pemuda UMNO gathering whether he was really serious about stepping down. He thought it discourteous that Khairy insisted Mahathir send Abdullah for an overseas tete-a-tete meeting with the US President, even when Mahathir had dismissed the idea as “premature” and “unnecessary”.

Mahathir rankled when his former political secretary, Matthias Chang, reported to him that Khairy had mentioned in an informal student gathering in London that both Mahathir and Daim deserved to go to jail after Abdullah Badawi takes over.

But like all of Khairy’s enemies, Mahathir underestimated “the boy”. He thought that as leader of the country for 22 years, and the most powerful man in the country, Khairy could be pushed off the scene as and when Mahathir likes even when he was no longer in charge.

Mahathir trusted that his immensely strong iron grip on UMNO could be utilised behind the scenes to bend Khairy to the Mahathir whim. But it was not to be. Mahathir’s son, Mukhriz found himself humiliated when he tried to challenge Khairy for the deputy leadership of UMNO youth.

In spite of Mahathir’s monetary support, several large gatherings to pep up the Youth voters and the far-reaching tentacles of ANSARA (the former Mara students alumni group headed and funded by Mukhriz as a closet political tool), Mukhriz found that the rising son-in-law was more powerful than the fading son. He humiliatingly lost the UMNO Youth Head position in his father’s own constituency and got pitiful support for his national ambitions.

So basically we have an idea of how the early Mahathir-KJ relationship transpired. Therefore if today Dr M calls him that 'budak hingus' it is nothing to be surprised about.

However the above is just one side of the story. Apparently there is a supposedly other view being propounded by certain spinmasters. They speak of a very misunderstood and much maligned young man who would rather turn the other cheek than rise in rage at the injustice and public character assassination that he has been subjected to.

Despite being very fluent in several languages and an excellent public speaker he perhaps gets tongue-tied when someone makes personal allegations. That he has kept himself above the fray they say, speaks volumes of his sincerity and good upbringing. And if he has made millions in business dealings, why envy a person who has been certified by no less a minister than Nazri himself, that it was due to his business acumen. All the more made 'official' when he said this in Parliament.

It is impossible they say, for anyone, let alone the son-in-law to influence the mind of the Prime Minister who himself is subjected to the worst form of slander in modern Malaysian history. So sustained and venomous are the accusations and rumours about Pak Lah and KJ that the inner circle around them is worried that the majority of the usually well-informed public is starting to believe it.

They attribute it partly to the age-old Malay weakness - dengki. The "how come he's got everything, I've got none" attitude. So rather than let the 'boy' bask in the sun, turn everything into night and the hell with it. How tenable this line of argument is, depends on what 'philosophy' you subscribe to. While some may howl with laughter, there'll be definitely many who will buy this story.

So it is your decision people. Is KJ a misunderstood and maligned scapegoat or the evil architect as some make him out to be?