Khairy Jamaluddin Still Wants To Be PM, But No Longer Needs It To Feel Successful
The man who, as recently as GE15, publicly declared his ambition to become Malaysia’s youngest prime minister, now says he no longer measures his self-worth by whether he reaches that office.
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For most of his political career, Khairy Jamaluddin measured his worth by a single benchmark: the prime minister’s office.
That has changed.
In a recent interview with Malay Mail, the former health minister said becoming prime minister remains a “lifetime ambition” — but that he no longer sees himself as a failure if it never happens.
I always felt that I would not be a success in life if I didn’t become the prime minister. Now, I feel that it is okay if I don’t.
It is a notable shift for a politician who, at various points, was considered one of Malaysia’s most promising — and most scrutinised — political figures.
As the son-in-law of the late former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the de facto leader of the so-called “Fourth Floor Boys” — young advisors who wielded considerable influence in the PM’s Office — Khairy entered politics already carrying both enormous expectations and considerable baggage.
As recently as GE15, he had openly declared his ambition to become Malaysia’s youngest prime minister.
Khairy was expelled from Umno in January 2023 over alleged breaches of party discipline following the 15th general election, including criticising the party leadership and not aligning with its official campaign direction.
A Different Man After Three Years Away
In the months that followed, he joined Hot FM as a radio presenter, co-hosted the Keluar Sekejap podcast with former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan, and took on brand endorsements.
He described the period as “commercially successful” and said he spent more time with family and led a less stressful life than during his tenure managing Malaysia’s Covid-19 response.
He thought “long and hard” about starting his own party after his expulsion, but held back — concerned that a new vehicle would only deepen the fractures in an already four-way split Malay voter base.
His Umno membership was reinstated on 18 April, under the Gagasan Rumah Bangsa initiative led by party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi — alongside 6,252 other former members, including Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
The 50-year-old marked the moment with two words on Instagram: “I’m home.”
If the opportunity knocks and if the rakyat will have me, it is still my lifetime ambition — but it is not everything. I’m not here anymore to go quickly to the job.
Back In The Room — And Already Weighing In
His return has not been quiet — perhaps that was never really an option.
Within two weeks of rejoining Umno, Khairy was already speaking publicly on one of the country’s most live political flashpoints — the Negeri Sembilan crisis.
After all 14 BN-Umno state assemblymen withdrew support for Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, Khairy called for a formal vote of confidence in the state assembly as the most acceptable path forward.
“I think the most acceptable way is to have a vote of confidence in the Negeri Sembilan state assembly. And if a no-confidence motion is allowed, it would be an opportunity for Barisan Nasional to form a state government,” he told reporters on 2 May, after attending Umno’s 80th anniversary gathering.
It was a measured but pointed intervention — the kind that signals a man recalibrating his political range, not merely warming the bench.
The Sungai Buloh Loss, Still Unspoken But Present
Khairy, a three-term MP, was moved from his Rembau stronghold to Sungai Buloh ahead of the 2022 general election — with just three days’ notice before nomination day, he revealed.
He lost narrowly to PKR’s Datuk Seri R. Ramanan by 2,693 votes.
He did not dwell on it, but he brought it up.
“I hope I have a little more runway compared to last time,” he said, when asked about where he might contest next.
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No Rush, No Fixed Seat
Speculation has mounted over whether Khairy could be fielded in Kedah, partly because his mother is from the northern state.
Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has said the state is “an open field for everybody.”
Khairy — an Oxford graduate who has rarely been accused of speaking without thinking — was measured in response.
He said he does not know Kedah’s political dynamics well enough, and that the next general election is likely at least a year away.
I don’t think PMX will roll the dice in the present global circumstances.
As for Keluar Sekejap, he is handing the podcast to Shahril, while remaining involved behind the scenes.
The ambition, it seems, is intact; the urgency is not.
READ MORE: UMNO’s Most Famous Ex Is Knocking On The Door Again
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