Good Luck, Torch Bearer

There was a sentimental piece written by Khairy Jamaluddin, the Deputy Youth Chief of UMNO and the son-in-law to the current Prime Minister in his weekly column "Out Of The Cage" in the New Straits Times.

It made me think and reflect on what he was saying.

Because he's a friend, though certainly not close by any measure. I see him once every 4 years for lunch, although official business relating to policy matters, usually has us meeting or calling each other, slightly more often than that.

Because he's in my age-group and I remember what he was like in 1999, when I was one of those whom he had invited to be a part of the "Young Turks" team to try to change UMNO from the inside.

I declined for 2 reasons at that time: first, the horrible treatment dished (followed by a traumatizing courtroom circus) out to the former Deputy Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim which led to the reformasi movement and secondly, because I did not believe that UMNO could be changed from the inside.

I am not anti-Government or anti-UMNO - but I've been following political movements in the country, since I was 10. Inside, I've always had a feel for what would work and what would not.

And UMNO cannot be changed from the inside or by the pressure exerted by the Opposition - UMNO can only be changed if non-politicians stood up against the abuse by some UMNO members, from the outside.

Not because we hate the party or because we are anti-Government, but because we believe that as the leading partner in the National Front coalition, it can be better in representing the Malaysian interest.

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We had a frank discussion at my house for about 3 hours and he could not really change my mind. I reminded him that a few others had gone in with the intent of changing UMNO from the inside but had failed. Some became even bigger monsters than the people they have tried to change.

In fact, the late Ustaz Fadzil Noor, former leader of the opposition party, PAS - had told Anwar Ibrahim (then, just an Encik) when he received the invitation from Dr. Mahathir to join UMNO - that "you cannot clean a septic tank from the inside". And there are so many once idealistic-turned-corrupt UMNO leaders that have proven his words to be true.

It's not that the people in UMNO are bad - there are many good men and women in UMNO - those who are patriotic and those who are genuinely there to serve the party and the people.

But the smaller minority who are bad have institutionalized corruption within the party and have ensured their rise to leading positions (and with it, access to lucrative Government contracts) within the party. And the majority who are good, have kept silent and and consented to such practices - by not blowing the whistle on the corrupt.

When you have a party of 3.2 million people who are enslaved by the smaller minority who practise corruption and widespread abuse of financial patronage, then strength in numbers mean absolutely nothing, in upholding what is just, fair and is built on the foundations of meritocracy, even within the Bumiputra community. It's a recipe for disaster when people can be bought or their reluctant silence obtained by power and influence.

(It's telling when the Vice-President with the highest votes in the last UMNO General Assembly, Tan Sri Isa Samad, has been punished for money politics and vote-buying. And it's even more telling when UMNO members come and tell me that it's not fair to him - not because he didn't do it - but because he was not the only one within the UMNO top hierarchy, doing it)

Equitable distribution of wealth is only an effective economic concept, if resources and Government contracts, were given out to the most deserving, within those who are entitled to it. Otherwise, it is really just another form of economic and financial squandering of national economic resources. It's helping the undeserving rich get richer and the undeserving poor get poorer.

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The first time, I met KJ was in London - when we were both negotiating for opposing student organizations.

He was part of an elite student grouping made of up students from Oxford, Cambridge and London called the International Malaysian Forum (IMF)(which counts as part of its alumni some of the most prominent and influential youngsters in the country - Dr. Vincent Lim and Ahmad Zaki Zahid, both of whom are working for the Prime Minister, Omar Mustapha, Principal of the prominent consulting firm - Ethos Consulting, Tengku Zafrul Aziz (formerly MD of Avenue Group, now with Citigroup)).

They were responsible for a magazine called Forum, which eventually changed its name to Ethos. The intellectual standard and content inside the magazine was so high that they never accepted any of my contributions. (Heh! That's sour grapes talking) ;)

IMF was also responsible for the first Vision 2020 conference in 1993 and they had the benefit of the influence patronage from the think-tank ISIS, under the leadership of the late Tan Sri Noordin Sopiee.

I was with a far bigger student representative organization in the UK - one which has remained till today and is still making an impact as a voice for the students in the UK. (It gives me great pleasure to know that IMF is now no more - heh!)

Even back then, Khairy was a shrewd negotiator - he was smooth-talking (albeit in a very strong English accent), he came prepared, asked for a lot and offered very little in return. He was younger and had rasta hair back then but needless to say, he got the better end of the negotiating bargain.

But I remember one of his seniors remarking to me: "Watch out for this one".

And yes, even back then, the boy did exude a precocious and influential aura - except that seeing him then, I would never have imagined him ending up as a politician in Malaysia - if not anything, because he seemed ill-suited for the role. He didn't seem Malaysian enough, he definitely was not Malay enough. I would have expected someone like him to end up working overseas, never to return to Malaysia.

But as fate would have it - he came back to Malaysia and he's learnt to be a lot more Malay. And now he is an UMNO politician. Back then, who could have predicted such a thing?


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But back to KJ and our meeting. In the discussion we had, in my family home in 1999 - I could see how green he was to the Malaysian political scene.

He was not green in his awareness, I felt - after all, he is a Politics, Philosophy and Economics graduate from Oxford and host of "Dateline Malaysia", the most engaging political program ever to have hit Malaysian TV (and which I feel, should make a return) - but he was green in his optimism and his overriding belief in the strength and convictions of his then boss, the Deputy Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

I've never put much faith in the ability of one man (any one man, for that matter, even if it's Tun Mahathir) in changing UMNO. UMNO is a grassroots party - the quality of its leaders, reflect the quality of its followers. If the rot has seeped to the roots, then the wilting of the tree, is not far behind.

But yes, he was sincere. And even if I felt that his faith (and his direction) is misplaced, I admired his courage and willingness, to try to change the system. But deep inside, I wondered whether he would quit halfway after he realized the futility of the effort - or whether, as had happened to so many before him, some far greater in influence and grassroots popularity - he would change and be corrupted.

I gently declined his offer and wished him all the best in his efforts to change UMNO and Malaysia.

I told him that I would contribute outside of the political space, perhaps via NGOs in the policy space - and I have kept my promise on that, in the last few years. It's less complicated and I get to keep my freedom and openly express my independent stand on issues - something which is discouraged in UMNO, albeit the more liberal climate under the Abdullah administration.

He told me that he understood and that the door is open if I ever changed my mind. But I never did. It was just not my cup of tea, I guess.

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There were many other occasions when our paths crossed again - all in a good way. Like when Kitty, my ex-wife, became one of the top 4 shorlisted from a pool of 200 people interviewed, to be in the Young Turks Office, in 2003. At that time, they disguised the interviews, as an interview for a new consulting firm - but it was not.

When Kitty found out later what the job really was, she was terrified and seriously considered not taking it up. She was slightly shy and diffident and hated all things related to Malaysian politics and Government, which is ironic considering that she majored in political economics and received a First Class Honours in both her undergraduate and postgraduare studies.

I knew she had what it took - my ex-wife is one of the brightest woman I know - but I wasn't going to push her. Although I did feel that it would be a great learning experience and a big leap up, from her dead-end job, which was literally bringing her to tears, sometimes.

A call from Khairy came one day and he said to me: "Please convince her to join the team - she's one of the best in the top 4 and she would really make a good fit, to the team". I didn't give him any guarantees - but I told him that I would try my best. This job was important for the country and to the then incoming Prime Minister.

The next one week was a brainwashing period - it took all of my debating fervour and arguments to refute her opinions on why she thinks, she's not suitable for the job and boosting her self-confidence. But I succeeded and Kitty took the job. Khairy thanked me and I thanked him in return, for giving Kitty this great opportunity. He said to me: "No need to thank me, she got there on merit".

On hindsight, perhaps, that was the only significant thing I've ever done for Kitty, in our marriage. Sometimes, I philosophically conclude that perhaps, that was the defining moment for which I was meant to be there, for her. Perhaps, that was the point to our marriage.

After less than 3 years, she has bloomed from an amazingly bright woman to a hands-on player, (albeit now, somewhat jaded) in the policy circles. She's got a bright future ahead of her and I only wish the best for her. Because she truly deserves it.


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Again, before I ramble further, let's get back to Khairy.

It's been a while since we last spoke, on an informal basis. Our last lunch together was in 2004 when he left the Young Turks Office (partly, to avoid him suffering the fate of Dollah Kok Lanas after Tun Razak died) and was considering his career options. I was working as Chief of The Program at that time, having been its founder and chief architect, for one year before that.

He invited me for lunch to catch up and to get my feedback on current issues. I gave him my honest opinion on most things but I sometimes, chose my words more deliberately, so as not to to insult his father-in-law. But yes, he wanted my frank opinions, on him and other things, uncensored.

The Khairy I had lunch with, in 2004 was not green anymore.

He had seen a lot more, achieved a lot more (especially in playing a pivotal role in the general elections, which was like electing an American President than choosing a party to govern), annoyed a lot more senior civil servants who worked very hard to frustrate Government implementation and was also branded "the most powerful 28-year old in the country".

Although he was much more reflective, on how he did things and how he could have done them better.

He was much wiser and nowhere near as green as he was in 1999, but to give him due credit, still quite optimistic on the prospect of change happening. Perhaps, being at the apex of the system allows you to effect more positive change and makes you less cynical, over time.


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And now it's 2006. How time flies. I have observed Khairy's political rise with much interest - the way I suppose, with the same fascination that political pundits would have observed a young Bill Clinton, when he was Governor of Arkansas or a young Tony Blair before he became leader of the Labour Party.

Much of what he has said and done, has remained true to form.

Some things surprised me greatly, though - like him spearheading the New National Agenda (NNA) in the last UMNO General Assembly - and pushing the Government to help the Bumiputras dominate a few identified economic areas.

A few years before that, it would have been unlikely to hear Khairy say such a thing. He was not actually the fondest of people, towards affirmative action under the New Economic Policy (NEP). But perhaps, a few years in politics has changed his perspective - because he's now acting like an ardent supporter of affirmative action, not only for the poor, but also for those in business and employment.

And then there are other disturbing stories. Some from good sources, but most from very vague ones - of things relating to Government contracts and businesses and dispensation of patronage. These sort of stories, if at all true, make you wonder he's betrayed his ideals for a cleaner UMNO and for true change.

I don't know - no one has any proof but as an old Malay saying goes - "If there is no wind, the trees will not sway".

Deep inside, there's a part of me that still wants to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe that he's still fighting for the change that he once promised himself and others.

It is impossible to remain untainted in UMNO, unless one does not care about position and influence - and given relative standards, perhaps some level of "swaying" and consent by silence should be forgivable - as long he's not forgotten, what the fight is all about and he continues the good fight.

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I'll reproduce for you parts of what Khairy had written in his article.

"Now, tomorrow has become our refuge for this more sedately, considered approach. We know we can't change the world anymore and are hoping that the world has not changed us too much. We have long forgotten about being masters of the universe and are lucky if we can even be masters of our household."


And in another part:

"You don't say the first thing that comes to your mind but say the right thing that comes to your mind. You are more mindful of others and think about consequences that are three or four times removed from your action."


And in another part:

"The angry young man has taken a chill pill, playing by the rules of the game, however flawed, instead of mounting an insurgency to change them. This is how it is and how it always has been. But some days, when I'm trying to say what I think is the right thing, I miss not just saying what I really want to say."



And on politics:

"This must be the paradigm to which you aspire, where ideas to improve the lives of others supercede your personal ambition. We owe it to this great profession to make it the career of the best, brightest and most principled"


And in the last 2 paragraphs:

"I am also offering these insights because it is so easy to drift and cruise along.

It becomes second nature to conform with what everyone else seems to be doing. But once in a while, a younger voice inside reminds you that you are not here to be just a seat-filler or to make up the crowd.

You chose this life less ordinary because you want to stand up and be counted. You took the plunge because you have something to say. Say it. Do it. And never stop fighting until the fight is done. Light the fire"


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I loved what Khairy wrote in this piece.

And I pray that he means what he says and that he will lead the way by example, for others, for UMNO and for Malaysia.

If he's remained on the straight and narrow so far, good for him and good for us. If he has strayed slightly - there is always a time to take stock and to start over, on a new leaf. It's part of the benefit of being young.

As he had written - the paradigm is where improving the lives of others supercede one's own personal ambition. It's a life which prioritises service to others, above self.