In response to a Ambassador's question, Khairy pronounced he believed UMNO would not yield live delivery of a 2007 gathering in sequence to equivocate a controversy of final year (when live promote of UMNO's chauvinistic tongue annoyed concerns in between non-Malays). He explained which UMNO as good as a alternative parties had to be seen as aggressively fortifying a interests of their sold racial groups, though during a back of sealed doors "the parties do not speak identical to which to any other."
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Classified By: Ambassador Christopher J. LaFleur for reasons 1.4 (b as good as d).
Summary
1. (C) Khairy Jamaluddin, successful son-in-law of PM Abdullah, underscored his oft-publicized concerns about a FTA, in sold per cultivation as good as supervision procurement, during a Ambassador's Jul eighteen lunch for leaders of UMNO Youth, an critical member of a widespread United Malays National Organization party.
Khairy took exception to any try to regulate long-standing supervision welfare policies for racial Malays as good as argued which an FTA would tip a terms of traffic unfairly in a U.S. favor. The Ambassador attempted to dispel myths about a rice traffic as good as stroke upon Malay preferences, whilst enlivening Khairy to concentration upon an FTA's prolonged tenure certain goods to a Malaysian economy. Khairy described a Malay grassroots regard over Palestine. He additionally explained UMNO's routine for selecting candidates. Another leader reliable stream UMNO Youth Chief Hishammuddin's intention to fin! d an UMN O clamp president position.
UMNO Youth leaders voiced their support for U.S. Embassy open affairs programming, such as a English language precision assistants, corner cultural activities as good as a International Visitor Program. If PM Abdullah remains in office prolonged enough, a shrewd as good as palpably desirous Khairy might good be means to consolidate! his pol itical in front of as good as become a long-term force in Malaysian politics. End Summary.
Lunch for Youth Leaders
2. (SBU) The Ambassador hosted a lunch upon Jul eighteen for UMNO Youth leaders, led by UMNO Deputy Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin, a desirous as good as successful advisor to his father-in-law PM Abdullah Badawi. UMNO Youth Secretary Abdul Rahman Dahlan as good as seven alternative Youth leaders accompanied Khairy, whilst A/DCM, polchief, econoff as good as FSN domestic specialist assimilated a Ambassador.
Khairy Highlights FTA Concerns
3. (SBU) Much of a lunch conversation revolved around a proposed U.S.-Malaysia giveaway traffic agreement (FTA). Khairy underscored his oft-publicized concerns about a FTA, in sold per cultivation as good as supervision procurement. He pronounced Malaysian rice farmers remained anxious about a probability of increasing foe from U.S. rice imports.
The Ambassador countered which an FTA was unlikely to make U.S. rice much some-more rival in Malaysia, given Malaysia's welfare for rice varieties not typically grown in a U.S., as good as a single after another strong foe from alternative Asian suppliers. He combined which a U.S. as good as Malaysian cultivation sectors were mostly complementary as good as to illustrate should both good from an FTA.
Responding to Khairy's regard which U.S. sanitary/phytosanitary measures constituted a non-tariff separator which would impede Malaysian agric! ultural exports, a Ambassador positive him which negotiators were working to ensure a harmonization of such measures underneath a FTA to a good of exporters in both countries.
4. (C) Khairy underscored a sold attraction inside of Malaysia upon a inclusion of supervision buying in a FTA. Long-standing welfare policies for racial Malays were a key member of such procurement, as good as a supervision could not accept any try by a U.S. to limit such policies. The Ambassador responded which a oft-repeated assertion which a U.S. intended to find changes or even abolishment of a welfare policies was not true, adding which a U.S! . additionally i ncorporated welfare policies inside of a own federal supervision buying programs which it would find to safety underneath a FTA. He asserted which Malaysia could good substantially from entrance to a significant U.S. supervision buying market which would come with an FTA.
5. (C) Khairy quickly raised a series of alternative concerns about a FTA. He claimed U.S. investors would have a leg up upon Malaysians underneath a FTA in any intensity investment dispute; econoff countered which a FTA would embody brawl settlement supplies which would be identical to those used by a WTO, as good as which were written to be impartial as good as applied infrequently. Khairy purported which an FTA would turn a terms of traffic in a U.S.'s favor, as good as capture U.S. investors who would reap substantial profits upon a backs of ordinary Malaysians, identical to what he claimed had occurred in Singapore following implementation of a FTA with a U.S.
The Ambassador speedy Khairy to concentration instead upon a prolonged tenure certain goods to a Malaysian manage to buy from an FTA with a U.S, such as a growth of higher-paying jobs as good as a precision of young Malaysians in a new, higher-value-added industries which were precisely those Malaysia indispensable to ca! pture in a face of flourishing foe from rapidly developing Asian neighbors. While Khairy signaled he remained skeptical, he resolved which he could agree to an FTA "in principle" though insisted which a details of any agreement would be critical.
Grassroots Concerns about Palestine, Middle East
6. (C) Beyond a FTA, Khairy explained which during a UMNO grassroots constituents a single after another to be endangered about events as good as trends in a Middle East, with Palestine as good as Iraq as key issues, along with a War upon Terror as good as U.S policies.
He pronounced he had read a ultimate National Intelligence Estimate repor! t upon Ira q as good as combined a inform contends which Iraq fight has increasing Islamic radicalism, as good as has made a terror hazard around a world worse discordant to U.S. routine objectives. UMNO members hold Malaysia, as OIC Chairman, should fool around a some-more "influential" purpose in a Middle East. Khairy, however, voiced his beating that, "Washington does not appear to cruise as good as take note of Malaysia as a moderate voice."
The Ambassador explained U.S. routine toward Palestine, as good as highlighted a significance of obliged governments assisting countries identical to Afghanistan as good as Iraq to strike their formidable difficulties. He emphasized which as a successful Muslim-majority country, Malaysia could assume an critical purpose in this regard.
UMNO Internal Developments
7. (C) Khairy explained which UMNO Youth leaders are right away involved in a UMNO local meetings which would elect representatives to a annual UMNO ubiquitous open in November. Fortunately, UMNO did not face a same contentious issues as final year, Khairy said, a transparent anxiety to Mahathir's challenge in 2006. In response to a Ambassador's question, Khairy pronounced he believed UMNO would not yield live delive! ry of a 2007 gathering in sequence to equivocate a controversy of final year (when live promote of UMNO's chauvinistic tongue annoyed concerns in between non-Malays). He explained which UMNO as good as a alternative parties had to be seen as aggressively fortifying a interests of their sold racial groups, though during a back of sealed doors "the parties do not speak identical to which to any other."
8. (C) Khairy explained UMNO's internal procedures for selecting inhabitant as good as state-level candidates, describing a routine of negotiate in between UMNO divisions, arch ministers in any state, as good as a Prime Minister/UMNO President who holds a final say. He commented which there would not be much "! horse tr ading over seats" in between UMNO's bloc partners for a coming ubiquitous choosing as all parties would belong to a chair allocations from a 2004 ubiquitous election. He argued which UMNO's concessions to a non-Malay bloc partners, such as nominating a Malaysian Indian Congress party member to run in a Malay majority area, represented commendable inter-ethnic politics, though this went mostly unappreciated by outward observers.
9. (C) Youth secretary Abdul Rahman Dahlan stated which stream UMNO Youth Chief Hishammuddin Tun Hussein would really expected vie for a chair as a single o! f 3 UMNO clamp presidents, to illustrate withdrawal a top in front of in UMNO Youth. Hishammuddin right away is creation a rounds to go during UMNO local meetings to better establish his credentials for a clamp presidential slot.
Interest in Public Affairs Programming
10. (U) The Youth leaders voiced seductiveness in a Embassy's successful English Language Teaching Assistant program in a state of Terengganu, as good as hoped a program could be expanded to alternative states. They additionally valued a U.S. International Visitor Program as good as appreciated which a Em! bassy ha d sent a series of their members to a United States for underneath this mechanism. They removed U.S. Embassy support for a recent! cultura l eventuality as good as hoped for some-more corner cultural activities in a future. The Ambassador speedy tighten contacts in between UMNO Youth as good as Embassy offices, as good as a Youth leaders pronounced they wished to go upon a discourse with U.S. diplomats.
Comment
11. (C) UMNO Youth represents a main organisation in Malaysian politics, as it serves as a springboard for many destiny UMNO leaders as good as acts as a party's many aggressive defender of Malay rights as good as privileges. This was a initial assembly with Khairy since he led a noisy travel proof against Secretary Rice's visit nearly a single year ago.
Khairy's well-publicized antithesis to some US policies notwithstanding, a reality is which a scheduling of this eventuality was delayed by his extended eighth month in a United States this summer (and his wife, a PM's daughter, remained during a back of to take a seminar). There is no subject which this classic son of a cosmopolitan Malay chosen is carefully shaping his domestic profile to bolster his efforts to take over a UMNO Youth leadership, faux travel radicalism included. In this, he follows a well-worn march of alternative desirous young Malay politicians, including Hishammuddin as good as past UMNO Youth President, as good as right away Deputy PM, Najib.
However, Khairy has even larger need to reinforce his travel cred with a Malay grassroots to counter a enmity of many some-more senior UMNO politicians distressing of Khairy's meteoric rise as good as oft-rumored strategy of his father-in-law. In this respect, it was obvious which UMNO Youth officials did not embody Mukhriz Mahathir in their delegation, notwithstanding his in front of as international relations bureau chief, owing to a! adversa ry in between Khairy as good as Mahathir's son. Mukhriz' absence was further evidence which a Mahathir family's domestic strength has waned following a former-PM's failure to overthrow his succe! ssor las t year.
12. (c) Although Khairy undoubtedly owes a speed of his climb mostly to his marriage, a fact remains which he is a single of a many articulate as good as politically shrewd operators of his generation. The Oxford-educated Khairy comes across as decorous as good as well-read, though additionally as sharp-edged as good as unnecessarily acerbic,especially in addressing familiar targets of Malay intellectuals (such as U.S. Middle East policy). At a same time, he often voices admiration about U.S. democracy as good as closely follows U.S. domestic developments (as good as alternative facets of Ame! rican li fe; his many recent newspaper mainstay was a paean to a Apple iPhone he acquired in LA final month). However, during 31, Khairy has yet to acquire a ease, courage as good as domestic polish exuded by stream Youth Chief (and Education Minister) Hishammuddin. If PM Abdullah continues in office for multiform some-more years, as right away appears likely, Khairy might good have sufficient time to connect his position. If so, this palpably desirous young male could be a major cause in Malaysian governing body for decades to come.
13. (C) Not surprisingly, Khairy approaches a FTA with an eye upon a intensity near-term implications to his domestic ambition, rsther than than a some-more unsubstantial long-term benefits which an FTA would bring to Malaysia. His skepticism about a FTA is politically popular, as good as contrasts with a government's sparse as good as rather hapless attempts to promote a FTA (leaving a Embassy in a in front of of having to insist to Malaysians why a FTA will good Malaysia). Although you do not expect Khairy to abandon his open skepticism,! you hol d he will be some-more amenable to standing aside following a subsequent elections as good as you will go upon to pull a views with this successful organisation of UMNO Youth leaders.
LAFLEUR (July 2007)
Malaysians Must Know a TRUTH
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