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Baradan Kuppusamy

Dashing, ambitious, young and with the power to call the shots, Khairy Jamaluddin,  KJ to his friends, tends to drive Malaysian politicians mad.

'He gathers political enemies like flies to carrion,' said veteran political analyst M.G.G. Pillai. 'He has everything going for him, and because of that, in the faction-riven world of Malaysian politics, he invites hatred and jealousy.'

His detractors have dubbed him the 'most powerful 30-year-old' in the country.  He is the man regulars in Malaysia's internet chat rooms love to hate.

He was in the spotlight again this week after buying  M$10 million ($20.61 million) worth of shares in ECM Libra, a financial consultancy favoured by the government. Mr Khairy is holidaying in Australia, but ECM shares are rising on the back of his purchase and on speculation  his father-in-law and Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi  might give the consultancy an investment banking  licence.

But a lack of transparency on the deal has aroused suspicion.

'He has to tell the people where he got so much the money to buy the shares,' said  opposition politician Hussam Musa. 'We are not screaming corruption ... it could be a friendly loan or a bank borrowing, but just tell us.'

The son of a retired diplomat, Mr Khairy studied at Oxford and the London School of Economics. Legend has it that he defended Anwar Ibrahim at a London undergraduate gathering and incurred the wrath of former prime minister  Mahathir Mohamad.

He joined The Economist as a writer and the short stint took him to Pakistan and Afghanistan. He returned at the right time, with Dr Mahathir preparing to retire and Mr Abdullah poised to take over.

Mr Khairy  burst onto the political scene 'through the back door', as one commentator put it,  marrying Mr Abdullah's only daughter, Nori, in 2001.

His rise through Umno (United Malays National Organisation), the dominant party in Malaysia's ruling coalition, was meteoric and made possible by powerful men willing to step aside  for Mr Abdullah's son-in-law.

Today, Mr Khairy is the outspoken deputy leader of Umno's powerful youth wing - a post he won last year, uncontested. The position gives him  a strong platform to articulate his vision for the Malays and acts as a stepping stone to higher office. Although mainstream media cover  his speeches enthusiastically, little is known of the man himself.

His resume is blank apart from the fact he has a passion for polo, horses and superbikes. He also dashes from one official function to another in helicopters and private jets, landing in the football fields of remote villages.

Any other information - like that seen on the internet - is clearly unsubstantiated.

Raja Petra Kamaruddin, editor of the Malaysia Today news website has written - to date - a  23-part series on Mr Khairy called The Khairy Chronicles. It makes for fascinating reading - what with all the wheeling and dealings - but it is difficult to draw the line between  truth  and  propaganda.

'I write about him because he is a fresh face, full of potential and people want to know what makes him tick,'  Raja says.  He says Mr Khairy is where Mr Anwar was 20 years ago. 'Like Anwar, Khairy is young, protected and promises a new era.

'Anwar had Dr Mahathir Mohamad as protector and benefactor and Mr Khairy has Mr Abdullah. But unlike Anwar whose rise was stopped by Dr Mahathir, Khairy is already the de facto prime minister ... he is the real power behind the throne.'

But there are several, equally blue-blooded contenders for the throne.  One is  Mukhriz Mahathir, Dr Mahathir's son who is ambitious, has been groomed and has his father's well-oiled patronage machinery at his disposal.

Another is  Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak,  son of the country's second prime minister. Only Mr Abdullah stands in his way. A third is  Hishamuddin Hussein,  a son of the third prime minister.

'They are all young, ambitious and leveraged. It is already a crowded field and will get more crowded,' Mr Pillai says.

However, Mr Khairy is already making fair headway. 'He is no longer hiding behind his father-in-law's coattail,' said an academic at the University of Malaya.   'The younger generation is beginning to value  his strategic thinking.'

Mr Khairy is credited with planning Mr Abdullah's  success in 2004's general election.  He also helped to win a crucial by-election in the opposition stronghold of Kelantan state last month.

'He is smart, articulate, moderate and stable in his views,' said a businesswoman who attended a meeting called by Mr Khairy to solve the problems of private education in 2004.

But after preaching meritocracy, Mr Khairy shocked his growing legion of multi-racial followers when he led the charge in the Umno general assembly in June demanding the government bring back discriminatory policies that favour ethnic Malays.

'He is a fast learner ... he has caught on early that there is no future in Umno for reformers, only conformers,' said  Raja. 'The flip says a lot of this young man.'



Marrying the PM's daughter lets you call the shots