YOURSAY | ‘This happened before our eyes in between three prime ministers…’

A question for Khairy…

Aries46: Bravo Malaysiakini. You have hit the nail on the head.

For all of Sports and Youth Minister Khairy Jamaluddin's pomp and pride as the academically acclaimed Oxfordian one-eyed king even among the scholastic in Umno, he has proven to be no better than the run-of-the-mill Umno politician in so far as the 'foot in mouth’ affliction is concerned.

Nevertheless, Khairy’s principled stand to shun “purveyor of one-sided journalism” is to be lauded. It may not only consign him to ‘loneliness’ at press conferences, he may find himself at the mercy of solely Malaysiakini journalists.

Vijay47: This "taking questions" issue brings about two conflicting realities. It is bad enough that Khairy is a politician and when he is from Umno, it acknowledges that he has reached the pits. 

Secondly, Malaysiakini seldom makes editorial statements and when it does in respect of persons of Khairy’s wily ways, it bestows on him recognition that he least deserves.

Being educated in a bastion of democracy, free speech, and a free press, one would expect him to have acquired some minimal virtues of these principles yet his refusal to face questions from Malaysiakini simply reveals, if revelation is still needed, that Khairy is just another, yes, run-of-the-mill politician most suited for membership in his party.

He seems unable to accept that true journalism takes no sides, that he can be condemned as much as he can be admired.

Malaysiakini should never have devoted an editorial to Khairy, not anyone as petty as he is. But he confirms that Oxford and Indiana, they are both the same.

Anonymous 1890491455255851: Malaysiakini is the closest to “two-sided journalism” for Malaysians.

I have not read mainstream media for a long time except for the odd occasion precisely because I understand it can't, not won't, give us the readers the truth when it comes to matters involving our government and those linked to it.

If a politician believes he is doing right by the people and the country, he will take what comes his way. With our idiotic members of the governments, they generally say stupid things and say it with arrogance and are unfortunately not being misquoted. That is the sad thing.

They actually say them and then when they try to back pedal, they make it even worse. So, if any politician makes excuses for not taking questions from the rare fair media organisation that exists here, that speaks volumes.

Anonymous 29051438068738: It is indeed magnanimous of Malaysiakini to honour a pretentious man with an editorialised response.

His petulant outburst at the Malaysiakini reporter, while exposing his chronic insecurities, laid bare his Umno-honed hypocrisy which funds and props up the gutter "journalism" of the ever-failing Utusan Malaysia and his party's "purveyors of one-sided journalism”, the New Straits Times and The Star.

Instead of fighting the cancer of institutionalised corruption, racism, bigotry and the stench of the 1MDB carcass - all of which get truthfully exposed by this news portal - this man chooses to do what lazy, incompetent, corrupt politicos do - attack the messenger.

6th Generation Immigrant: The transformation, evolution and morphing of KJ happened before our eyes in between three prime ministers – Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Razak.

If he was the good guy in Umno just immediately after Mahathir, he is truly spiralling downwards in the Najib era.

Come to think of it, Mahathir spent 22 years trying to revolutionise the psyche of the Malays (through social engineering), yet he failed, but KJ is a fast learner, although in the opposite direction.

OMG!: A reporter who is pointedly ignored at a press conference, who is told that his questions come from "a purveyor of one-sided journalism" may well feel slighted.

But such behaviour reflects badly on Khairy. And not only him. He attempts to tar Malaysiakini but all readers can judge for themselves the online paper's neutrality and professionalism since 1999.

Meanwhile, Malaysians can also judge for themselves whether the coalition that has governed Malaysia for nearly 60 years practices one-sided governance. They can also assess whether the allegations of gerrymandering and malapportionment by the Election Commission is one-sided electoral oversight or not.

And whether the selection of all top officials like the chief justice, Bank Negara governor, inspector-general of police, attorney-general, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission commissioners, etc, which are determined exclusively by one man, is a one-sided allocation of power to that man.

AntaraBangsa: At one time, I thought KJ would be the one to bring balance to Umno and BN. I couldn't have been more foolish or wrong.

Perhaps he skipped his Oxford classes on democracy, or worse, has intently chosen to subvert the democratic process. Aesop was quite right, "The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny."

What happened to Khairy Jamaluddin?

Anonymous 29051438068738: What happened to Khairy Jamaluddin? Nothing. Like everyone else he simply evolved over time to be what he is today - another third world politician who will do just about anything to serve himself.

It is the foolishness of Malaysians who saw him as someone other than your typical Umno politico - just because he spoke better accented English or "could think on his feet".

Ipohcrite: Maybe we gave KJ too much credit when he really hadn't deserved it; it merely shows how desperate we are to have a Malay and an Umno leader who is righteous enough to spark a reform in the party towards honest government and treating Malaysians of all ethnic backgrounds with respect and fairness. And not someone who champions ‘ketuanan Melayu’ and treating the rest like second-class citizens.

Clongviews: Well, Khairy must also "cari makan". He needs a punching bag to keep going.

He can't talk about 1MDB, SRC, and more recently, on TMJ's (Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim’s) remarks about him.

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