If Umno decides to be a right-wing party, it would no doubt do well in the short term based on temporary support but it would definitely be gone in 10 to 15 years’ time, he said in a Twitter post today.

“But if it chooses the middle path, it will not be an easy one as it would be a path that the grassroots may find hard to grasp. But that is the only way for it to survive,” he said.

Khairy said if the party was banking on creating fear among the Malays and leveraging on issues such as the appointment of a non-Malay as the attorney-general, chief justice and so on, it could forget about taking back Putrajaya.

“While there is anxiety among the Malays, they are minute issues compared to economic and social issues,” he said.

He also questioned what Umno had done since the conclusion of its party election.

“Play up racial sentiment, raised funds for the former Umno president, and it repeats.

“It isn’t wrong that we stand in solidarity with DSN (former prime minister Najib Razak), but the new Umno cannot be only that. We were defeated ‘near death’ during the GE14, but the people’s voices are still deaf to the party.”

However, Khairy said he still believed in Umno’s original DNA which was based on moderation, taking the middle path and celebrating diversity.

“That is why I am still with Umno. But I disagree with the racist manifestations that have emerged after the party elections.

“I did not accept the offer of any posts after losing in the election because I have the freedom to speak in the party.

“Let there be a diversity of voices in Umno. Many have labelled me as a liberal, that is not important. The important thing is that there is a dissenting voice versus the right-wing voice of the party.”