KJ mulls forming own party

KJ mulls forming own party


Former Umno leader Khairy Jamaluddin is now mulling whether or not to form his own political party.

Khairy - who was sacked from Umno in late January - said he was initially disinclined to further saturate the political landscape but began thinking otherwise recently.

“I’ve been considering that option (forming a new party) for the last few weeks,” he said on an episode of his podcast today.

“If we get a second chance in politics, why not have the new start on our own terms,” he added.

His remarks come amid continued speculation on whether the former health minister will join an existing major political party.

One party that has been openly wooing him is Bersatu. Khairy claimed other parties have also reached out to him.

Elaborating on his current line of thinking, Khairy said joining a new party would require him to adjust to that party’s way of doing things, which he may not be completely aligned to.

He said he had to make similar adjustments when joining Umno.

However, he was realistic about possible challenges if he were to form his own party.

“If you set up a political party, you can go the way of Pejuang - sorry to say - losing your deposit, people laughing at you, and all that.

Khairy Jamaluddin (left) and Shahril Sufian Hamdan.


“But maybe you feel more fulfilled because you did it on your own terms,” he said.

He then cited how Pakistan’s Imran Khan lost in multiple elections before finding success.

“So if we start our own party, we have to be ready to not win several elections, but one day who knows,” he said.

Meanwhile, Khairy’s podcast co-host Shahril Sufian Hamdan - who was suspended from Umno for six years - said he was not going to rush into making any political choices.

He said he has no desire to contest in the upcoming six state elections and wants to focus on his life outside of politics for now.