We won’t see a bright future if we allow such decadent political culture to thrive on Malaysian soil.

“Let me first win Sungai Buloh, and then I’ll lead Umno and this country.”

The above was spoken by the incumbent health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who admitted he had never spoken something like that before.

“If I said this, all in Umno’s supreme council would want to ax me, but now is the time to say so.”

Yes, if he did not say this, he would have no more chance, and therefore had to take the risk.

In the upcoming general election, Khairy, who has been three-term MP for Rembau, has to give way to party deputy president Mohamad Hasan, and be “arranged” to stand in Sungai Buloh, where BN only managed to secure 21.4% of votes in the last election.

Going against the odds, Khairy will have to say something stunning in order to win the election. He had to pick the right timing to put his message across, and to book himself a place in the party and cabinet.

Khairy’s PM statement serves a three-fold purpose: to make a big gamble to vie for undecided votes; to make known his intent to fight for the top party and government posts (and to save the face of the party’s big wigs, he said he could wait); and to “reserve” a place in the cabinet if BN wins this election.

Khairy is a very smart man. His exceptional performance in battling the pandemic while he was health minister has put his fellow cabinet colleagues to shame. He has stayed away from the party infighting that lasts five years. And he is actually very young, just 46, was an Oxford economics graduate, and a master’s degree holder in legal and political theory from University College London. He also boasts an impressive political CV, having been a three-term MP, a cabinet minister and Umno Youth chairman.

We are not against older politicians taking charge of the country, but all those who have aspired to be PM these last few years are all old folks who have messed up this country: Tun M (97), Ku Li (85), Anwar and Muhyiddin (both 75), Najib and Zahid (both 69).

Although Ismail Sabri is “relatively young” at 62, he ascended to premiership by chance, as a result of vicious power struggle. We are not sure if he even gets to become PM again after this election (if BN wins).

In short, whoever wins the next election, this country will continue to be run by an old man.

Khairy couldn’t have declared his PM ambition at a better timing, as he has given us a chance to see the possibility of a Malaysia helmed by a young man.

Shouldn’t our political parties groom the new generation of leaders and prepare them for takeover anytime instead of allowing the old men to keep fighting among themselves for the top government post?

Outside this country, Singapore’s PM-in-waiting Lawrence Wong is only 49, British prime minister Rishi Sunak and his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern both 42, French president Emmanuel Macron 44, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau 50, Finland’s PM Sanna Marin 50.

Many leaders of smaller countries are not even 50 yet. If at 40 to 50 they can run a country, why can’t we have a much younger PM?

While we are thankful that these old people continue to serve the country in their remaining years, they should also draw up their succession plans, and courageously make such intent known to the public during the election campaign!

Other than Khairy, Umno’s 36-year-old moderate and liberal information chief Shahril Hamdan is another rising star that deserves some grooming.

In the meantime, PKR’s Rafizi Ramli is only 45, while John Hopkins graduate Nurul Izzah is already a three-term MP at the age of 41.

This shows that we do have talented young people but they have not been given due attention by their parties.

None of the three major political camps have set out their succession plans in their manifestos. They fail to pledge to put the most capable people in charge, and would not pledge not to swap cabinet positions in exchange for support and allegiance.

We won’t see a bright future if we allow such decadent political culture to thrive on Malaysian soil.