Wong Choon Mei, Harakah Daily
Beseiged Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin may deny he is being pressured by members of his own wing to step down, but signs are becoming embarrassingly clear that not only he but even his closest associates such as former media boss Kalimullah Hassan are being pushed to the wall.
Through their related NGOs, Umno has already begun firing salvos at Kalimullah, the former group editor-in-chief at the New Straits Times, accusing him of using undue influence to obtain a RM900 million government contract.
“We have conducted an investigation into the allegations and as far as we are concerned, the evidence against him is quite strong," Azwanddin Hamzah, president of the Umno-backed Jaringan Melayu Malaysia, told reporters.
Against the PM, the Sultans, Islam and the Malays
The JMM also said it would give Kalimullah a week to rebut the corruption accusations, otherwise it would lodge a police report against him.
Azwanddin also accused Kalimullah as being the power behind popular news portal The Malaysian Insider. He further claimed that The Malaysian Insider had published articles that were against Prime Minister Najib Razak, the Sultans, Islam and the Malays.
"Kalimullah is the hidden hand behind the news portal's attack on Najib, Islam and the Malays. The funding for The Malaysian Insider actually comes from Regalia Solutions," alleged Azwanddin.
“Most recently is an article in The Malaysian Insider which insults the royals. We take these attacks seriously as they involve national security and unity.”
All is well in Umno Youth or is it?
Meanwhile, Khairy has denied speculation that the Umno executive committee had met Najib to discuss their unhappiness with his leadership.
“Of course there has been a lot of speculation regarding today’s meeting, I have read on various online portals, but you have to understand that firstly, our meeting with the prime minister today, was just a coincidence that it took place after various speculation surfaced,” Khairy told reporters late on Wednesday evening.
“It has nothing to do with the last exco meeting, it was not a meeting to solve a crisis because there was no crisis, it was very clear that today’s meeting was about our future direction.”
At the previous exco meeting, several Youth members including Putrajaya deputy Youth chief Hishamuddin Yahya had point-blankly asked Khairy to step down if he could not lead the party effectively.
Their main grouses are that Khairy has shied away from taking the ultra-Malay rightist stand that is traditionally espoused by Youth leaders.
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