University of Tasmania’s James Chin said Umno is seeking to rebuild public support after its lacklustre showing in the 2022 general election (GE 15). He said reinstating expelled leaders like Khairy would be key to that effort.

“Umno really needs to increase its number of seats (in the next general election) to make stronger political bargains in the next round.

“So it is looking for as many winnable candidates as possible, and Khairy is someone who is winnable, even though he lost in GE 15,” Chin told FMT.

However, Chin warned that Umno grassroot members may not trust Khairy and view his return with suspicion.

“People think that he is too nakedly ambitious; a lot of people also think that he’s secretly against (Umno president) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and (former prime minister) Najib Razak.”

On the GE 15 campaign trail in 2022, Khairy had said he hoped to become prime minister one day but conceded that this could force the Umno leadership to “cut me off”.

Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia said that while Umno might be willing to welcome Khairy and other sacked leaders back, it was unlikely that they would secure key positions in the party.

“So long as Umno has a place in government, it won’t be willing to put anything on the table,” said Fauzi.

“It is not in a precarious position so long as Anwar Ibrahim and Zahid are at the apex of the PKR and Umno leaderships. We all know that Zahid bears a grudge against Khairy, so why would he offer a position to Khairy anyway?”

Khairy was Rembau MP for three terms but had to make way for Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan in GE 15.

He was instead fielded as a candidate in the urban Pakatan Harapan stronghold of Sungai Buloh, where he lost narrowly to PKR’s R Ramanan in a seven-cornered fight.

A former health minister, Khairy was sacked from Umno in January 2023 for breaching party discipline during GE 15.

Earlier this week, Umno Youth chief Akmal Saleh offered to help facilitate his and suspended Umno leaders Hishammuddin Hussein and Shahril Hamdan’s return to the party. Khairy thanked Akmal for the offer and said he would consider it.

Fauzi described Khairy’s response as nothing more than a typical political remark and expressed doubt that the former Umno Youth leader would accept the incumbent’s offer.

“All politicians have their egos. To expect Khairy to stoop to a junior politician, who’s also his (distant) successor as Umno Youth chief, is rather out of the ordinary,” he said.

He added that accepting Akmal’s offer may weaken Khairy’s own power significantly.

”It won’t put Khairy in a position of strength, which won’t augur well for his leadership ambitions in Umno.”

However, Chin believes that Khairy may be giving the offer serious thought to maintain his relevance in the party.

“It’s probably time for him to return, because I’m sure that he’ll want to stand in the next parliamentary election.”

He said it was essential that Khairy return as MP to achieve his goal of becoming prime minister one day. “In the Malaysian political system, if you’re not an MP or a YB (elected representative), you’re a nobody.”

Still, Chin said an Umno return would likely require Khairy to pledge his loyalty to Zahid, whom he has openly criticised in the past.