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COMMENT | It occurred to me once, that of all the people in the world, living and dead, I was most likely the one who had written the most words about Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

An odd distinction, to be sure. It’s also probably been years since I’ve written anything about this former Selangor menteri besar, but it’s been mildly amusing to note that, to this day, a certain brand of commenters never fail to mention my association with him, even in completely unrelated articles.

In any case, it was with quite a heavy heart that I read yesterday’s article on Khalid’s latest political stance.

I suppose if one were to look at it objectively, I doubt that Khalid shifting his support to Umno will make much of a difference in any grand scheme of things.

On a personal level though, I suppose my melancholy stemmed from a feeling that this was a nail in the coffin, and a passing of an era – a sign that Malaysian politics had unravelled past a certain, heavy-hearted point.

Drawing the line at Umno

Let me state upfront and early. I will likely never politically support anyone who supports Umno, nor ask or advocate for anyone to do so. This obviously applies in Khalid’s case.

I will say this much though: I believe that Khalid’s latest decision is a reflection of his priorities and principles, perhaps coloured slightly by the treatment he received while in the opposition.

We cannot fault the man for following his beliefs, but in the same breath, we cannot let the principles of others – no matter how much we looked up to them in the past – dictate or overly influence our own principles without just cause.

I think ultimately, one of Khalid’s primary concerns is Malay political clout.

If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say that he feels we are currently witnessing a fracturing of Malay political power on a dangerous scale.

His comments yesterday about working with both Umno and PAS serve only as more confirmation that those two parties will be working together, one way or another, during GE14, under the guise of perpetuating Malay-Muslim unity.

I’m guessing that this is something Khalid is in fact personally passionate about...

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