Khairy Jamaluddin is no stranger to criticisms but this time the Umno Youth deputy chief has come under heavy fire from leaders of MCA and Gerakan both component parties of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.


 <img align="left" height="146" hspace="5" src="https://i.malaysiakini.com/38/f2b7209806509ecabea2d16b691b63e4.gif" width="219"/>
 On Friday, at the opening of the Jerlun Umno Youth division delegates conference in Kedah, Khairy had warned party members that Chinese Malaysians would exploit the current infighting within the ruling party to advance their community's interests.


 "The internal split within Umno will weaken the party's position and this will pave way for the Chinese Malaysians to make various demands to benefit their community," Khairy was quoted as saying by Chinese newspaper
 
 Sin Chew Daily
 
 .


 "The MCA ministers who have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) earlier this year to demand for Chinese community's rights was the result of Umno being in a weak position," the report added.


 Khairy also argued that Umno woes have created a similar situation as in 1999 - when the Malaysian Chinese Election Appeals Committee (Suqiu) made a set of "demands" when Umno was divided following a fallout between then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim.


 <img align="left" height="225" hspace="5" src="https://i.malaysiakini.com/56/30df25be3f5059f7329051d57c53bfae.jpg" width="300"/>
 The embattled Umno Youth No 2 told party members that while they could not blame MCA and Gerakan for making such demands, it was a weak Umno which opened up the opportunities for the two parties, both partners of the ruling coalition, to advance their interests.


 Mahathir has in the past three months fired a volley of stinging criticisms against his handpicked successor Abdullah - who is also Khairy's father-in-law and political analysts feared this
 
 <a href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/55285" target="_blank">
 may result in a split
 </a>
 
 within Umno.


 The ex-Umno strongman has also singled out Khairy for criticism, claiming that the 31-year-old ambitious politician was the power behind the throne.


 Today, major Chinese-language newspapers -
 
 Sin Chew Daily, Nanyang Siang Pau
 
 and
 
 China Press
 
 - frontpaged indignant reactions from MCA and Gerakan leaders, with MCA-owned
 
 China Press
 
 running a prominently headlines, 'Khairy, you're wrong'.


 However, both the English and Malay dailies have ignored Khairy's remarks.


 
 
 A political newbie
 
 


 Reacting strongly to Khairy's statement, MCA vice-president Dr Chua Soi Lek was quoted in today's papers as saying that the rising politician's views were "unfair and wrong".


 He said that MCA had never exploited Umno's power struggle to benefit the Chinese community.


 According to Chua, who is also health minister, Khairy's remarks could be because the Umno Youth leader was a political novice.


 "Judging from his statements, he doesn't understand the Barisan Nasional spirit. Maybe, he is still young and therefore he doesn't understand the 55-year-old history of MCA as a component party within the BN," said Chua.


 MCA secretary-general Ong Ka Chuan advised Khairy not to create more opportunity for the opposition parties to gain political mileage out of his unwarranted remarks.


 "Khairy's political strategy is outdated. His remarks are uncalled for and immature," said Ong, who is elder brother of MCA president Ong Ka Ting.


 MCA Youth chief Liow Tiong Lai argued that Khairy was seeking to create an "imaginary enemy".


 Liow said Khairy was wrong in charaterising the relationship between the Malays and Chinese as 'win or lose' situation - that should the Malays have the upper hand, it would mean that the Chinese are at the losing end.


 "Why is there a politician who still raises this kind of win-lose theory after so many years of our country's independence? This is a form of narrow thinking and MCA Youth feels disgusted by it," said Liow, who is also youth and sports deputy minister.


 Meanwhile, Gerakan deputy secretary-general Lee Kah Choon and Khairy's counterpart in Gerakan Youth, Lim Si Pin, also ticked off Khairy.


 They described the Umno Youth rising star's remarks as "inappropriate" and gave the assurance that Gerakan would not exploit the current split within Umno.


 The Chinese dailies also published similar reactions from the Chinese-based associations and opposition leaders, including DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.


 
 
 Playing to the gallery
 
 


 An editorial in
 
 Nanyang
 
 accused Khairy of playing to the gallery to portray himself as a Malay hero.


 The editorial pointed out that Khairy, as one of the few Malaysians who have graduated from the prestigious Oxford and Cambridge universities, he should recognise the fact that Malaysia is a multiracial society.


 This is the first time BN leaders have came out so strongly to condemn Khairy, who some claimed is the
 
 de facto
 
 prime minister due to his close ties and strong influence over Abdullah.


 He won his party post in 2004 uncontested but this was greeted with mild boos from delegates at the Umno Youth general assembly.


 Mahathir, who is on a warpath with Abdullah, has repeatedly questioned Khairy's influence over the current administration and described Khairy's stake in a major investment company, ECM Libra Avenue, as inappropriate.


 The company is a merged entity of investment advisory group ECM Libra - which Khairy had a direct stake - and government-owned financial services company, Avenue Capital Resources.


 The merger is being probed for possible conflict of interest.


 Subsequently, Khairy
 
 <a href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/55289" target="_blank">
 sold all his shares
 </a>
 
 in ECM Libra Avenue to a Malay buyer last week, ostensibly to "protect the bumiputera equity ownership" despite claiming there were better offers from non-bumiputera.

The PM's son-in-law has been accused of race baiting while speaking at an Umno Youth meeting on Friday and Barisan National component parties are alarmed.


Khairy slammed for playing racial card

~RM12

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