Doctor who?

Well. At last the cat is out of the bag. Yesterday, Dato Seri Dr Khir Toyo admitted that he would consider contesting for the post of UMNO Youth Chief in the coming UMNO election. He is currently seeking the inputs/views from the grassroot before he makes the final decision. That is standard politician talk. In simple layman terms, this is the translation - I want to contest, please nominate me. Sometimes we just wish they say what they want, direct to the point. Or is this another example of practising 'adat budaya melayu' (malay culture) - be humble, do not be a show-off (menunjuk-nunjuk). anyway, politically it would look better if you were nominated, rather than you offer yourself as a candidate.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2008&dt=0401&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Politik&pg=po_02.htm

This open admission by Dr Khir is not surprising. UMNO members and political observers have been talking about this possibility for quite sometime. It all started when Dato Seri Hishamuddin, the current UMNO Youth Chief, hinted sometime last year, that this would be his last term as the chief - having been in charge since year 2000.

This admission is also a 'siren' to his loyalists/supporters. They would start to mobilise, campaign and 'sell' his name to the grassroot. This of course would be done quietly and slowly. Meetings and discussions would be done in small groups over a period of time. Why? Few reasons. One, they do not want to be seen as too aggressive, as that would put off some UMNO members. Two, they can better gauge the sentiment/support for their boss. Three, the election is in December. So they have to pace themselves as not to 'peak' too early, for some other candidates to slip in and snatch the support of the grassroot from under their feet. (case in point: Hillary vs Obama)

Who doesnt know Dr Khir Toyo. He is both famous and infamous. He rose meteorically in UMNO. Luck played a big role in his political life. A classic case of being at the right place, at the right time. In August 2000, Dato Abu Hassan resigned as the MB of Selangor. At that point, Dr Khir was serving his first term as an ADUN, having won a state seat in the 10th GE that was held earlier in Nov 1999. After that GE, he contested and won as an UMNO Youth Exco member. To the surprised of many, he was picked as the new MB, against a field of more senior and experienced candidates. He was only 35 years old. I was surprised, sceptical and happy, all at the same time. Surprised coz a greenhorn, barely a year into his first term as a wakil rakyat, was chosen. Sceptical whether he would be able to perform without enough experience as a politician and a leader. Happy as i saw the appointment as a vote-of-confidence to the younger generation. In fact, he attended two events organised by my friends and I, thro our group Sekretariat Melayu Muda. Many who attended find him to be approachable and soft spoken. He has this natural unassuming common touch. And you can tell it is real, not made-up. Another person who has this similar trait is TS Muhammad Muhd Taib. Regardless what we have heard about them, we cant take away that from them.

Over the years, Dr Khir had his ups and downs. But at the same time, he got himself really close to UMNO members. In the 2004 UMNO election, Dr Khir Toyo contested and won a seat on UMNO's Supreme Council - with the highest vote! Remarkable by any standard - considering it was achieved within a span of four years. Clearly he had a strong support base within UMNO. And although Selangor fell to the opposition in the recent GE, he still commands sizeable number of supporters - so i've been told. If that is the case, i believe he fancies his chances and go for broke. What has he got to lose? He already lost a state.