Khairy Jamaluddin

Infobox_Politician
name = Khairy Jamaluddin


birth_date = Birth date and age|1976|1|10|mf=y
birth_place = Kuwait City, Kuwait
residence =
death_date =
death_place =
office = UMNO Deputy Youth Chief
term_start = unknown
term_end =
predecessor = Dato' Seri Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein
successor =
constituency =
office2 =
term_start2 = March 9 2008
term_end2 =
predecessor2 = Firdaus Muhammad Rom bin Harun
successor2 =
constituency_MP2 = Rembau
parliament2 = Malaysian
majority2 = 5,746
office3 =
term_start3 =
term_end3 =
predecessor3 =
successor3 =
constituency3 =
party = United Malays National Organization (UMNO)
part of Barisan Nasional
religion = Islam
occupation = Politician, Journalist
majority =
relations = Son in law of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
spouse = Nori Abdullah Badawi
civil partner =
children =
website = http://www.rembau.net

Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar (born January 10, 1976) is a Malaysian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Rembau Parliamentary Constituency, and is the Deputy Head of the youth wing of the Malaysian political party UMNO as well as the Deputy Chairman of Barisan Nasional Youth, the ruling coalition governing Malaysia. Khairy won the Rembau seat in the 2008 Malaysian general election

At UMNO's grassroots level, he holds the post of Youth Chief in Rembau division and also heads the UMNO branch of Gadong, the birthplace of his father.

Personal Background

Khairy is the only son of former diplomat Dato' Jamaluddin Abu Bakar and Dato' Rahmah Abdul Hamid. His grandfather, Penghulu Abu Bakar, was a renowned community leader in Kota, Rembau. Khairy's late father, Datuk Jamaluddin Abu Bakar was a senior official in the Ministry of Foreign affairs, retiring as the Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Datuk Jamaluddin Abu Bakar was an alumni of the prestigious Malaysian educational institutions, Universiti Malaya and the Malay College Kuala Kangsar. Khairy's mother, Dato' Rahmah Abdul Hamid, were seriously involved in volunteer work her entire life.

Khairy was born in Kuwait City, Kuwait. He had his secondary education at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore, and his university education at Oxford University and University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom. While at Oxford, he studied at St Hugh's College, and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). In 1998, he completed his Master's degree in Legal and Political Theory at UCL.

After leaving university, Khairy worked as a journalist for period. He served as a presenter on the talkshow "Dateline Malaysia". He also had a stint working for "The Economist" in 1999. Thereafter, Khairy became a Special Officer in the office of Abdullah Badawi, who was then the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. He was Abdullah's Deputy Principal Private Secretary from 2003-04.

In October 2001, Khairy married Abdullah's daughter Nori Abdullah. The couple have one son, Jibreil Ali Jamaluddin Abu Bakar.

Political Views

Journalistic Independence and the Printing Presses and Publications Act

Khairy believes that Malaysia should and could repeal the Printing Presses and Publications Act, and abolish the annual Home Ministry licensing requirement, through the creation of an independent body which will enforce a self-regulatory mechanism similar to the United Kingdom’s Press Complaints Commission. [The Star. [http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/11/nation/21219456&sec=nation Umno Youth deputy chief all for repealing Press Act] May 11 2008.]

Internet Censorship

In August 2008, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission blocked access to the popular site, Malaysia Today. Khairy spoke against the move, citing that the move was a “blatant and crude employment of state power” and “is inconsistent with the widening of democratic space.” [The Star. [http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/8/31/nation/22212872&sec=nation Khairy disagrees with blocking of news portal] August 31 2008.] Khairy also said that such move will only alienate young urban voters from the ruling party, and is at odds with the Multimedia Super Corridor Bill of Guarantees – a 10-point Bill that prescribes zero Internet censorship.”

Controversies and criticism

Khairy's political path had been marked by many controversies, especially considering the fact that he is the son-in-law of the current Prime Minister. This has made him one of the most quoted politician in Malaysian local media.

Unofficial representative of the Malaysian Immigration Department

Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar was the representative for the Malaysian Immigration department who personally handed Anwar Ibrahim his passport on the night of his release in 2004. This incident was initially reported by the Khairy Chronicles, while later it was confirmed by an official statement by Ezam Nor after he joined UMNO.

Debate challenge to an opposition leader

In September 2005, Khairy challenged Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang to a debate in Parliament. However Lim told him not to ask any Member of Parliament (MP) to debate unless he himself became an MP. Khairy declined and later argued that he had meant to ask Lim to debate the matter in Parliament, and did not challenge him to a debate.

ECM Libra

Around late 2005, Khairy was involved in a controversial merger between ECM Libra Capital Bhd and the government-linked Avenue Capital Resources Bhd, which resulted in the creation of ECM Libra Avenue Bhd. In December 2005, he was granted a loan by some of the shareholders of ECM Libra Avenue Bhd to purchase one percent of the firm's shares at 71 sen per share. [Jeff Ooi. [http://www.jeffooi.com/2006/08/ecmlibra_bruhaha_about_highs_l.php ECM-Libra: Brouhaha about Highs & Lows] . August] A public audit committee chaired by parliamentarian Shahrir Abdul Samad was later set up to investigate allegations of wrongdoing during the merger. On August 10, the committee concluded that the merger was done according to procedure. [Bernama. [http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=213216 PAC Finds ECM Libra-Avenue Merger In Accordance With Procedures] . August] On August 11, Shahrir Abdul Samad said: "In principle, this can be a conflict of interest. In this case, maybe, it is a question of approval from the minister because it was probably not referred to the Cabinet." [The Star. [http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/11/nation/15113955&sec=nation Bad calls led to Matrade mess] . August.] On 12 August 2006, Khairy sold his entire holdings in the company at 65 sen per share. [Bernama. [http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=213609 Khairy Jamaluddin Sells Entire Stake In ECM Libra Avenue] . August.]

Allegations of nepotism

In 2006, Prime Minister Abdullah and Khairy both came under heavy criticism from former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who alleged among other things that Khairy was controlling Prime Minister Abdullah's agenda from behind the scenes. The Malaysian parliamentary opposition leader, Lim Kit Siang, also expressed similar opinions, considering Khairy to be the "power-behind-the-throne" or the Puppetmaster. [Lim Kit Siang. 2008. Tsu Koon’s first act - Khairy to decide who is the next Gerakan Penang CM. Available from: http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2008/02/11/tsu-koons-first-act-khairy-to-decide-who-is-the-next-gerakan-penang-cm/. Retrieved Feb. 12, 2008.] Both Khairy and Prime Minister Abdullah strenuously denied this.

Khairy described himself as "a pretty easy scapegoat", but insisted that "the decisions Dr. Mahathir is unhappy with are entirely made by the Prime Minister and the cabinet." [Beech, Hannah (October 30, 2006). [http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501061106/story3.html Not the Retiring Type] (page three). "TIME".]

Khairy, who once said he wanted to be Prime Minister before turning 40, had previously served as a special assistant to Abdullah. He insisted that he had no influence on Abdullah's policies, stating: "I draw a line personal, private, professional and political line with the Prime Minister." [Goh, Melissa (November 18, 2006). [http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/newsncom.php?itemid=817 Khairy says he does not influence government decisions] . "Channel News Asia".]

Alleged affair with Maya Karin

In August 2006, it was alleged in the media that Khairy had taken the popular Malaysian actress Maya Karin as his second wife. Both Khairy and Maya strongly denied this. [The Star. [http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/5/nation/15057895&sec=nation Khairy: Check your facts first] August 5 2006.] [Bernama. [http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=212391 Maya Karin Denies Marrying VVIP's Son] August 5 2006.]

Racial discrimination

Within a very short period, Khairy created further controversies by claiming that the Chinese communities in Malaysia will take advantage of the Malays if UMNO is weak. [ The Star Online [http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/21/nation/15198967&sec=nation] August.] This created anger and outbursts not only amongst the Barisan Nasional component parties such as the MCA and Gerakan, but also amongst senior members of UMNO. Many viewed this speech as being confrontational in tone. In Penang, then Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon was criticised for the low income of the tsunami-prone Malay villagers in Balik Pulau.

The Prime Minister defended Khairy, saying that the media misquoted him. Khairy refused to apologise, stating that his remarks were genuine and that it was important to defend Islam and Malay rights.

While there was a strong reaction to his rabble-rousing remarksFact|date=April 2007, many political analysts such as Raja Petra Kamarudin believed that Khairy was trying to distract public attention from the ECM-Libra scandal where he was alleged to have siphoned up to 9.2 million via his proxies. Dato' Seri Lim Keng Yaik, the outgoing President of Gerakan called Khairy a low standard politician in rush to climb the political ladder. Nik Aziz Nik Mat of PAS called the controversy part of a strategy by UMNO to create a state of fear [ Harakahdaily.net [http://www.harakahdaily.net/v06/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4113&Itemid=1] September 6, 2006] amongst the Malays so they would continue to support UMNO despite the corruption allegedly rampant in Abdullah Badawi's administration.

Khairy later insisted that he was not an extremist, and decried racial extremism. In an address to the People's Progressive Party Youth wing convention at the Putra World Trade Centre on 16 December 2006, Khairy said:

Leading of protest

In 2006, during a visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Kuala Lumpur, Khairy, together with members of the ruling UMNO party and some members of the Malaysian Islamist party PAS, led a demonstration to the venue of the meeting where he handed over a memo to demand Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon and the suspension of the military operation there.

Support of illegal racing

Another controversy that created a stir among Malaysians was the unsuccessful attempt by Khairy Jamaluddin and Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (famous for continuous boasting of his "MBA" from the unaccredited degree mill, Preston University) to rebrand "Mat Rempits" as "Mat Cemerlang". [http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/15/nation/15443615&sec=nation Mat Rempit: We wont stop] The Star Online] "Mat Rempit" is a derogatory term used to refer to Malay youths involved in illegal racing with the aim of winning drugs, prostitutes and/or cash using (illegally) modified motorcycles. [http://www.sebaran.com/article349.html] Some analysts believe that UMNO Youth was trying to cash in on the large numbers of "Mat Rempits" in Malaysia as preparation for the upcoming elections. The suggestion by Khairy that "Mat Rempits" should become the "Eyes and Ears" for the Malaysian Police Force has sparked anger among former victims of "Mat Rempits", who previously had their vehicles smashed by "Mat Rempits". [http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/15/nation/15443615&sec=nation Mat Rempit: We wont stop] The Star Online]

Jihad Ekonomi Melayu (Malay Economic Struggle)

At the "Jihad Ekonomi Melayu" (Malay Economic Struggle) Congress in March, 2007, Khairy's paper on "Paradigm Shift and the Malay Agenda" received a lukewarm response from the CEOs of government-linked companies (GLCs) in Malaysia.Verify source|date=July 2007 The Congress was perceived as an attempt by Khairy to position his associates in a favourable position in order to secure lucrative contracts offered by GLCs in Malaysia. Among those who boycotted the Congress were the CEO of Petronas (Hassan Merican), CEO of TNB (Che Khalib), CEO of Khazanah Nasional (Azman Mokhtar), CEO of Telekom Malaysia (Abdul Wahid Omar) and the PLUS CEO, as reported by [http://www.agendadaily.com/cms/content.jsp?id=com.tms.cms.article.Article_48c797be-cabec5bb-154de0b0-da831c09 Agenda Daily] .

Allegation of interfering with the Murder Trial

In the ongoing trial of the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu on October 19, 2006 there were implications that link the Prime Minister and his son-in-law with interfering with the trial. With his sedition trial due in October 2008, blogger activist Raja Petra Kamaruddin alleged in his statutory declaration in which he said that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had been made aware of a full report by military intelligence on the involvement of his deputy premier’s family. Badawi gave the intelligence report to his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, for safekeeping, according to Raja Petra’s statement. cite news|date=2008-06-23 |url=http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1277&Itemid=34| title=Malaysian Deputy Premier’s Wife Linked to Murder |publisher=Asian Sentinel]

Participation in football

Khairy holds a number of high profile positions in the Malaysian football scene, and is involved in a number of football-related associations.

In 2006, Khairy teamed-up with radio DJ Jason Lo (who he attended high school with in Singapore) to produce the reality TV show "MyTeam". The show, which was televised on TV3, brought together a squad of unknown football players selected at trials held around Malaysia to form a team to take on the Malaysian national football team in an exhibition match. The event drew much publicity, and MyTeam put up a creditable performance in losing 2-1 against the national side. MyTeam were invited to enter the Malaysian Premier League in 2007. The team merged with an existing club, Perak UPB FC, to form UPB-MyTeam FC, at which Khairy became the President and Lo the Deputy President. After finishing runners-up in the Premier League in 2007, the club was promoted to the Malaysian Super League for the 2008 season. A second season of the show, "MyTeam2", was broadcast in 2007 (MyTeam2 took on the Indonesian national football team, losing 2-0). [ [http://www.myteam.com.my/ www.myteam.com.my] ]

On September 9 2007, Khairy was chosen uncontested as the Vice President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) during the 44th FAM Congress, to serve from 2007 to 2010, replacing Tengku Mahkota Pahang Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.cite web |url=http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/bm/news_sports.php?id=284103 |title=Khairy Antara Lima Muka Baru Terajui FAM ms icon|accessdate=2007-09-10 |author= |date=2007-09-09 |publisher=Bernama]

References

External links

* [http://www.rembau.net Official website]