KUALA LUMPUR: Umno has become "almost totally irrelevant" and it is time for Khairy Jamaluddin to "branch out" on his own should he decide to remain in politics, said Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan Masheerul Hassan.
The former advisor to former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he was not surprised by Umno's decision to sack the former Umno Youth chief.
"Umno has become almost totally irrelevant anyway and perhaps it's better for Khairy - if he wants to remain in politics - to branch out on his own.
"After all, he's only 47. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was sacked (by Umno) at 45 and came back as prime minister twice.
"(Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim was sacked by Umno and Mahathir at 50 and came back as PM after 24 years.
"Khairy? Who knows," the former New Straits Times group editor-in-chief wrote on his latest posting on Instagram.
Kalimullah unapologetically said while the current leadership may have rid Umno of its "great white hope", neither party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi or deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (Tok Mat) are likely to make it as prime minister.
"They are already too old. And weak."
He further shared that coincidentally, when Zahid was arrested and sidelined by Dr Mahathir and Umno for being Anwar's supporter in 1998, it was Khairy's father-in-law Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (then the Deputy Prime Minister) who intervened with Dr Mahathir and brought Zahid back into the fold.
"I know that because Pak Lah's (Abdullah) press secretary Kamarulzaman Zainal and I helped Zahid prepare his 'comeback' press statement.
"Tok Mat was the chief executive officer of Cycle and Carriage and was picked by Pak Lah (then Prime Minister of Malaysia) to be Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar in 2004.
"And now both of them sacked his son-in-law? Obviously, KJ must have done something unforgivable - like criticise Zahid and Tok Mat?
"In that sense, I am glad Pak Lah has dementia and cannot see all this happening.
"Anyway, what's there to be surprised? It's very rare to see gratitude or humility or a real democrat in Malaysian politics," he said, ending his remarks with "Good luck, Khairy Jamaluddin."
Last night, Khairy and former Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Noh Omar had their memberships revoked for breaching party discipline during the recent 15th General Election (GE15).
Khairy, who is also former Rembau member of parliament had been vocal and had called on Zahid to resign as party president following the disappointing and embarrassing results during GE15 where Barisan Nasional (BN) only won 30 seat, 26 of which by candidates from Umno.
In an immediate but brief response on his social media channels, Khairy said he had been sacked from the very party that he loved so much and was loyal to.
"Unbowed, unbent, unbroken," he announced via a Facebook post and a tweet last night.