KUALA LUMPUR – Khairy Jamaluddin may be stepping into new roles in Johor following his defeat in the 15th general election and last night’s sacking from Umno.
This comes after Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim dropped a big hint in his Instagram story today.
He shared a friendly photo of himself with Khairy, and captioned it: “Future JDTFC CEO and Johor Youth adviser.”
Khairy then reposted Tunku Ismail’s story with the caption: “One door closes, others will open. Rezeki di tangan Allah (fortune is in God’s hands).”
Tunku Ismail owns football team Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT) and its current chief executive is former Australian international Alistair Edwards.
Khairy, meanwhile, was youth and sports minister between 2013 and 2018.
Last night, former Umno Youth chief Khairy was given the boot from the party as part of an internal purge, ending weeks of speculation about his fate.
Another high-profile member, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who once served as party vice-president, was given a six-year suspension.
Six-year suspensions were also handed out to several other bigwigs, including former Umno information chief Shahril Sufian Hamdan, former Jempol MP Datuk Seri Mohd Salim Mohd Sharif, and Tebrau division chief Datuk Maulizan Bujang.
Also, 42 Umno members were similarly expelled with immediate effect, of which five are from the Pasir Gudang division, nine from Putrajaya, two from Tg Karang, and 26 from Pahang.
Previously, Khairy, who lost the race for the Sg Buloh parliamentary seat in the federal polls, had called for Zahid’s resignation after Umno suffered its worst electoral performance since its formation, while accusing the party of losing its way and needing “internal cleansing”.
Hishammuddin, meanwhile, is said to have led a separate faction against Zahid within Umno, and was one of 10 Barisan Nasional MPs who previously declared support for Perikatan Nasional chief Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister following the conclusion of the general election. – The Vibes, January 28, 2023
