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KUALA LUMPUR – Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin has rubbished speculations of him abandoning Umno, stressing that he has stayed with the party and will continue to do so despite challenges faced.
Following a YouTube video posted on September 14 alleging Khairy would leave Umno, the health minister took to his personal Instagram page to say otherwise.
“Don’t worry. Then, now and forever (I will be with Umno),” he said on his Instagram story.
He added he would not normally entertain such rumours, but felt compelled to address the issue this time, as many people have contacted him about the matter.
“When I won the post of Umno Youth chief, I was not appointed to cabinet and I was ostracised, but I stayed with Umno.
“When we lost the 14th general election and faced political persecution, I remained with Umno,” he said, adding that his stand did not change when he lost the race for Umno president and was “looked at differently” by certain quarters.
“Even if I have to find a new area to contest in, I will always be with Umno,” he said, ostensibly referring to how Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan allegedly eyed the Rembau parliamentary seat for the coming 15th general election (GE15).
The video posted by channel 1 Million TV, which has nearly 35,000 subscribers, has since garnered upwards of 58,000 views as of press time.
While the video bears the title “KJ leaves Umno, confirmed final decision by KJ”, checks by The Vibes on the contents of the video reveal that the video had rehashed news on the drama surrounding the Rembau seat.
The video also included a brief disclaimer stating: “Thumbnails, pictures, and title (for the video) is only an illustration. Please watch the video in full to know the contents of the reported news.”
On September 4, Khairy had said that he would not be defending the Rembau seat in GE15 to make way for Mohamad, who he asserted intends to run for the seat.
Subsequently, Mohamad, who is also Rantau assemblyman, one of the four state seats in the Rembau parliamentary constituency, had said on September 10 that he had yet to make a decision on which seat he would contest for in GE15.
The following day, Khairy said that he would discuss with Mohamad behind closed doors on who will be vying for the Rembau seat in GE15.
Mohamad is the election director for Barisan Nasional and lynchpin Umno. – The Vibes, September 19, 2022
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