'Is it to garner attention from the party so that some bigwigs will come over and hold him back or see how deep his support goes?'
Khairy to 'withdraw' from re-contesting Rembau
Alan Goh: Adios, Khairy Jamaluddin. It is better this way, as your political path in Umno will come to a dead end as long as Dr Mahathir Mohamad is around. The deputy minister's post that his son Mukhriz holds rightfully should belong to you. In fact, by virtue of being Umno Youth chief, you should be given a full ministerial post.
Other than being seen as a rabble-rouser, which is a negative point for you, overall, you are better than Mukhriz. Do return and change Umno from within, when the time is ripe and after Mahathir is long gone.
Take a rest, brader, and live to fight another day - this time showing Malaysians that you are not riding on your father-in-law's success.
DOC: It looks like the last remnants of the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi era will meet his political end soon. The lesson we can learn from this ‘The Rise and Fall of the Khairy Empire' is that arrogance in the pursuit of power and greed eventually will lead to a hard and fast downfall.
Miening: Don't you think he is just staging a stunt to test the water - announced it now to garnered as much attention from the party so that some bigwigs will come over and hold him back, or see how deep his support goes?
Hibiscus: Khairy is no fool. He knows Pakatan Rakyat will take over the seat of government in Putrajaya come the next general election. The days of securing political power using racist and extremist religious stances are fast fading. The BN system as it stands is too racist, too religiously fanatical, extremely corrupt, etc, to win the next GE and future GEs.
After BN becomes the opposition in Parliament, Khairy will probably then come in from the cold and reinvent BN. Remember, he was the first one in BN to suggest direct membership into BN and doing away with race-based parties progressively.
Who knows, he may be the hope for a new BN that really strives for the interest of the rakyat.
Lim Chong Leong: He is not in Mahathir's or PM Najib Razak's good books. He will not even be nominated, how is he going to stand in election? To stand down is only to save face.
Adcin: Khairy, the problem with you is that you are no angel and made hay when your father-in-law was PM. You may the smartest in Umno but you are as tainted as the rest of them, that's why it's easy for Najib to see you off.
Personally though I think Umno's politics is not for you, and maybe you had it too easy too soon when Pak Lah was PM.
Hopium: 'Tis laden with sadness that thy departure will be mourned joyfully by thy brothers of evil axis. Come forth with honesty, if thy still have an ounce of dignity, that thy hath lost the battle, and a departure at this moment is the best medicine for thy aching soul.
Great play for an Oxford-taught lad! Malaysians are more educated now to know between a loss and a win, and an act of desperation.
Mohd Khalid Ishak: I can understand Khairy. Umno is more for crooks, not for decent people. If you are decent, you get sidelined. Many good people have found it the hard way, especially during Mahathir's historic 22 years.
Paul Warren: Yes, Khairy, do it. Apparently, especially for you, they are developing a post-graduate degree in Humility.
Sarawak aims to remain BN 'fixed deposit', says MP
Albert: Sarawak should not ever become BN's 'fixed deposit'. Not after all the horror stories on corruption, abuse of power and authority, the chief minister's obscene wealth while the majority of the people (such as Penans, Ibans, etc) remain desolately poor.
Sarawak is an extremely rich state blessed with not only natural resources like timber, but most importantly, an abundance of natural gas (which brings in billions of ringgit in export earnings as liquified natural gas). But the rakyat in Sarawak are probably one of the poorest in the country.
For Sarawak to become BN's 'fixed deposit' would require extreme immoral actions by BN during the general elections (like threats against the poor natives, bribes, etc). And the opposition parties will probably be prevented from informing the ignorant natives the realities facing the state.
Nicole: I am sure many rural folks would be very happy with Igan MP Wahab Dollah as they are staunch supporters of BN. By hook or crook, BN must continue to rule Sarawak.
Christian 'fundamentalism' is self-coined
Johorean: Fundamentalism of all sorts is detrimental to cultural pluralism and inter-religious ties as a whole. Fundamentalism isn't necessarily equated with the bombardment of tall towers and the onslaught against hundreds of innocent souls.
The reason why Christian religiosity is extremely high could pertain to the systematic marginalisation of ethnic minorities in Malaysia across the socio-political millieu. This is extremely worrying if it permeates into the government, and may result in extreme government interference in individual religious liberties and civil rights, which should not be condoned.
No one should claim religious righteousness in judging how others conduct their affairs.
Wira: What is termed a fundamentalist today could be regarded a liberal a century ago. However, the passage of time does not render the teachings of the Bible obsolete. Fundamentalist or liberal, I am against the ordainment of a gay as a minister of God.
SusahKes: O Young, for months you have been going on, yet you can't even support your petty arguments of "what natural or social scientific research have to say". Please provide one empirical evidence of gays being born that way.
And yet, none other than the American Psychologist Association has, as recently as two years ago, declared that there is no scientific proof of a gay gene. You'd think that with the scientific advances we have, we'd find proof already. But no. None. Zilch.
For all the distaste that you have when Christians want to practice what they believe the Bible says, you appear to be the one who is antagonistic towards their right. You want to live as a gay - that is your choice.
One day all of us will appear before God - and if you're right, good for you. But can I label you as hypocritical, since you train your sights on Christians only and not on Islamic ‘fundamentalists' who also share similar views as Christian ‘fundamentalists'?
Malaysiasakit: A person who was anti-slavery in yesteryears, even though he/she could be anti-gay, was considered a ‘liberal'. The same view is now branded ‘fundamentalist' by this gay minister.
Anonymous Interesting - I'm glad Malaysiakini continues with these religious postings. The same applies to Islamic fundamentalists (in fact, the reverand's basic arguments cover all religions).
He's correct that the term fundamentalist was originally a positive one - but stretching back way before the US evangelical movement kicked in at the end of the 19th century. Luther, Melancthon, Bucer, Calvin and Co all regarded themselves as 'fundamentalists', since they rejected the authority of pope and priests and returned instead to the 'fundamentals' of belief as found in the 'good book'.
But today, one of the synonyms for fundamentalist is 'literalist' - which is why liberal, intelligent people cannot take religious people seriously (at least not in that particular sphere).
Kyw: It is madness to take the Bible literally. The body is the temple of the soul. It is not the property of another man. So let no man tell us what we do with our own body.
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