Khairy and Hishammuddin not agreeing on the keris
Posted: April 20, 2008 Filed under: Politics | Tags: Hishammuddin, Khairy, Media, UMNO 4 CommentsOkay… Long story made short. Khairy said one day that the keris-wielding issue was one of the reasons why the Barisan Nasional lost so badly in the last general elections. He didn’t say it was the MAIN issue, which it wasn’t anyway, but just one of the reasons, which is close enough to the truth.
This was reported on Malaysiakini.
This keris-wielding issue, of course, was mainly to do with Hishammuddin. He was, after all, the main culprit.
And then the next day, Hishammuddin, the main culprit of this whole issue, says that the keris-wielding issue is in fact NOT an issue at all. He says that it is NOT one of the reasons why the BN lost so badly in the GE2008.
Well, this is all good. After all, politicians can still disagree with each other.
But here’s the catch. Hishammuddin said that Khairy COULD NOT have said what Malaysiakini claimed him to said. To quote Hishammuddin’s exact words, “Tak mungkin naib ketua saya boleh menyatakan sedemikian kerana dia sentiasa ada bersama-sama dengan saya”. Read it here.
So now, not only is Hishammuddin not agreeing with his deputy on the keris issue, he’s denying that Khairy would have said that in the first place!
It’s either UMNO is having a really serious case of communication breakdown, or Hishammuddin is just in a state of absolute denial. Either way, it’s not looking too good.
The next step for the reporters would probably be to go back to Khairy, and get his statement of what Hishammuddin said. Perhaps Khairy can also deny that he said anything like that, hence making a fool of himself. Or he could repeat himself and say that he DID in fact admit to the keris-wielding issue to be a cause of the lost, and make a total fool out of Hishammuddin. Again, it’s not looking too good either way.
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Point of interest: The Star Online, NST and Bernama (all online versions) did not have anything reported on this case, as if it never happened. I have so far only been able to read about it through blogs (here and here) and Malaysiakini. Wonder why.
I Am Malaysian 
Thank you for the positive comments. Glad you enjoyed my piece.
Keris is a symbol of Malay political power. To wield the keris with the sharp end up and kissing it is symbolic of one’s loyalty to Malay political authority, either Malay king or Malay dominated government. Only when the sharp end is pointed towards a potential enemy, it becomes a symbol of readiness for self-defence. Kissing a kris symbolises loyalty, in the same way military guards of honour displaying their M-16. Had non-Malay Malysians been made aware of Malay culture and symbolisms, it would not be an issue at all.
@adudina
You may have a point there. But the thing is, there was once in history, right before the Operasi Lalang, when Najib ALSO kissed the keris, and said that he would soak it in Chinese blood. I think that’s what made it such an issue.
If not for what had happened in the past, perhaps it wouldn’t have been such an issue. “Once bitten, twice shy”, after all.
Hi Michelle,
The conflicting statements – by Khairy followed by a denial on bis behalf by the No.1 Youth chief – is a reflection of the state of affairs in the movement and in Umno.
Take the case of Umno V-P Muhyiddin Yassin. He gave an interview to Mingguan Malaysia – which was carried by the major newspapers – calling for a change in the top leadership. And yesterday he denied ever saying that.
I thought he was among the few who have the guts to speak up. Haiyah! What a disappointment-lah.