KHAIRY & TIAN CHUA? BUT HOW RIDICULOUS TO EVEN COMPARE! – KHAIRY IS A GENUINE FALLEN STAR MINISTER, AWAITING THE CHANCE TO LOOP INTO HIS NEXT ORBIT – WHEREAS TIAN WAS NEVER A POLITICAL STAR BUT RATHER A STAR ACTIVIST – SOMETHING LIKE NURUL, WHO TOO NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO CARRY A CABINET OR HIGH-LEVEL JOB – WHICH IS WHY THERE’S SO MUCH OPPOSITION TO HER BEING CATAPULTED TO SPECIAL ECONOMIC & FINANCE ADVISER TO DADDY – A STEP BLATANTLY TOO HIGH, GIVEN HER LACK OF SPECIFICALLY RELEVANT EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATION – EVEN THEIR PARTY MATE ELI WONG HAS MORE EXPERIENCE, HAVING BEEN IN THE S’GOR EXCO FOR YEARS! – POPULARITY? BUT ALL 3, KHAIRY, TIAN & NURUL LOST THEIR SEATS! WOULD TIAN OR NURUL DARE SAY THEY’RE MORE POPULAR THAN KJ?

TWO men, both firebrands who spoke their minds, both political icons and faces who endeared themselves to the public in their respective parties. They were the rising stars.

But for both, those stars are dimming. They have been sacked from the parties they served so loyally. Can Khairy Jamaluddin and Tian Chua come out of this limbo?

Khairy embodies a modern and moderate image for a conservative party like Umno but was still brave enough to take on his own president.

Tian Chua – or Chua Tian Chang to give his real name – represents defiance and reform, especially to those old enough to have witnessed the Reformasi movement of the late 1990s.

Who can forget the picture of Chua sitting down in front of a water cannon truck and a brigade of police in riot gear during the Reformasi movement 25 years ago, where FRU personnel gave him a beating before arresting him.

He was even charged with biting a policeman in 2008.

Those are images that have stuck in the minds of Malaysians during a heady period of national politics.

Khairy, on the other hand, had a colourful youth.

He served as a presenter on the Dateline Malaysia talk show and even had a brief stint working as a journalist for The Economist in 1999.

He rose within Umno during the premiership of his father-in-law Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and was elected as Rembau MP in 2008, a seat he served for three terms until 2022.

Khairy and Chua both suffered different defeats in the 15th General Election.

Khairy lost by a slim majority of fewer than 2,700 votes in Sungai Buloh, where he was forced to stand after being moved away from his Rembau seat.

Chua, who had been disqualified in GE14, tried to wrest his old Batu seat back but failed spectacularly.

He lost his deposit after garnering only 4,603 votes.

It can be argued that Khairy did better because the former health minister had the might of the Umno behind him. Still, his campaign saw him calling for reforms in Umno itself.

Chua, on the other hand, went against his own party’s candidate – and cut a lone figure on the campaign trail.

At a ceramah in Batu, locals at a pasar malam merely watched from afar as he spoke.

As heavy rain fell, many left with only those seeking shelter in stalls as his audience while Chua spoke from the top of his pickup truck.

In contrast, Khairy’s ceramah in Sungai Buloh were packed with crowds chanting “KJ for SB” as he received a rock-star welcome.

However, their fates after GE15 have now become similar.

Chua was sacked by PKR on Jan 8 for standing against the party. Less than 20 days later, Khairy was axed from Umno on Jan 27.

Chua conceded that his sacking was in line with party regulations.

“But I had to do what was necessary to defend my dignity and make a stand when I believed that the party’s decision was unjust.

“I was prepared to accept the consequences,” he said recently about PKR’s decision not to field him in Batu.

“I remain committed to the idealism as I started my activism a long time ago.

“As always, I will speak up without fear or favour,” he said.

Chua said he has no regrets about the sacrifices he made for the party.

“I experienced a lifetime struggle for a change in Malaysia’s political future. Even though many people of my generation cannot enjoy the fruits of their sacrifice, there are no regrets.

“The struggle is dedicated to the children of the future,” he said.

No reasons were given for Khairy’s sacking from Umno but it is an open secret that his calls to reform the party were not well-received.

It was perceived by some in the Umno leadership as an act of sabotaging the party.

Like Chua, Khairy stood by what he believed was needed in Umno – reform.

While their fates now look similar, the outlook for the future couldn’t be more different – Chua is in a political sunset but Khairy’s future looks bright.

Earlier this week, he hinted that he may return to run in the coming Selangor state polls.

Khairy, in fact, was offered the mentri besar post in two different states by other parties if he stood as their candidate.

Despite being spoilt for choice now, joining a new outfit could be a contentious decision.

PKR’s ideals resonate more with Khairy’s reformist and progressive image, but it could erode relations between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional – he certainly does not enjoy cordial relations with Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Besides that, other PKR leaders could feel threatened.

Joining Gerakan isn’t an option for Khairy given that the party has little political support in the country.

Bersatu could be a likely option, but it could alienate his supporters who are attracted by his progressive and moderate image.

With so many problems, Khairy has gone back to his roots – he is back in the media business.

He begins his new career as a radio announcer today.

While a career as a radio DJ may look like a downgrade, his new gig could well be an advantage.

With a morning audience from Monday to Friday, Khairy has a platform to launch his political comeback.

A political blogger once said that when you hunt a vicious animal, you don’t just wound it, you have to kill it. A wounded animal will lick its wounds and plan its attack.

While Chua may be dead in the political backwaters, Khairy is a political animal and for now, he is wounded.

ANN

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