PETALING JAYA: Former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin says he is considering making a political comeback in the upcoming Selangor state election.
Khairy told Channel NewsAsia (CNA) he believes Selangor is the “political epicentre” of Malaysia and he plans to build a new political base in the state.
“It is something I am considering (making a comeback),” he said. “I have made it known to the public that I have left Negeri Sembilan and migrated to Selangor. I think this is the political epicentre of Malaysia. Here’s where the action is.”
On his plans moving forward, Khairy said he is still considering his options.
“I think the political ‘market’ is quite saturated right now, so setting up a political party is an option, joining an existing party is another option. I would like to take my time to see what makes more sense,” he said.
Khairy also regretted Umno’s decision to sack him, saying he had been a member for 23 years.
“As far as politics is concerned, that party (Umno) was everything to me. To see it descend to what it is today is tragic and sad,” he said.
He said it would be difficult for Umno to bounce back from its “downward trajectory”.
“I do believe it will be hard for Umno to come back from this, not because it dismissed me, but because the entire trajectory of Umno is downwards,” he said, adding the party now only has 26 parliamentary seats and “still is reluctant to reform”.
However, he did not rule out the possibility of returning to Umno one day, but said it needs to be a “significantly different party” before he considers doing so.
“If I go back to the ‘current’ Umno, I believe it would be a colossal waste of time,” he said.
Earlier today, Khairy had said he will not appeal against his sacking because there is “no point” in doing so.
Interviewed on BFM’s The Breakfast Grille, he said appealing is pointless when the same people who wanted him out are still with the party.
Khairy was sacked on Friday for breaching party discipline during the recent 15th general election.