KUALA LUMPUR: Khairy Jamaluddin marked his debut as a radio announcer on Hot FM this morning.
The former health minister is co-hosting the four-hour Bekpes Hot segment with radio announcers Johan and AG from 6am.
Johan and AG kicked off the segment by saying today was much anticipated and special as they have Khairy reporting for duty.
Khairy greeted listeners with,"Good morning to all, KJ the DJ is reporting to duty at Hot FM."
Asked by the duo why he decided to be a radio announcer, Khairy had, at first, joked that he wanted to be with them.
"Seriously, I joined because Hot FM is the best in the market.
"I still have political ambitions. I do not want people to forget me. So (by co-hosting Bekpes Hot segment), we can discuss and joke in the morning," he said.
Khairy was former Rembau member of parliament (MP).
In the 15th General Election (GE15), he contested in the Sungai Buloh parliamentary seat under the Barisan Nasional ticket but lost to PKR's Datuk R. Ramanan.
The former Umno Youth chief was later sacked for violating the party's Constitution in GE15.
Khairy went on to share his daily morning routine after losing in GE15 in November last year.
He said he would go back to sleep after performing dawn prayers and have his wife, Nori Abdullah, send their children to school.
"It has been so long since I rested. It's not (about being) depressed. But now I have no choice but to get some rest (after the GE15 defeat)," he said.
He recollected the Nov 19 polling day ,which he described as historic, as he had not only lost to Ramanan but also lost the positions of an MP or a minister.
Khairy said as he had been left jobless, he thought he would be eligible for government pension as he was the minister for several portfolios and had been a three term MP.
"I do not have an income so I asked about my pension. But I was told I would get it when I turn 50. But I am 47 now which means I will not have any income for (the next) three years.
"That is why I joined Hot FM (because of the big pay). And I was reminded why politicians hold on to their positions until they are old. This is because they want to wait for their pension," joked Khairy.
Khairy said he just "froze"' and did not do anything after Nov 20 and thought of his future.
Referring to a widely circulated photograph of him sitting on a chair seemingly looking tired and helpless, Khairy said it was the last day of the GE15 campaign.
He said he was confident he had won the seat then.
"This was because everywhere I went, many people wanted to take selfies with me.
"I won in terms of selfies, but lost the votes," he said.
Khairy also revealed that he would soon take on a management role with Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club (JDT).
He thanked Tunku Mahkota of Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim for inviting him to be part of JDT, which he described as the best team in Malaysia.
"InsyaAllah, soon I will announce my involvement with JDT.
"But there is a little conflict because I am a supporter of Kedah because my mother is Kedahan," he added.
Afraid of losing their new colleague, AG and Johan told Khairy that he does not need to join JDT as he had just got onboard at Hot FM.
However, Khairy said he could multitask and use Zoom to do his radio announcer duties.
Refusing to give up, they had playfully suggested that Khairy ask Tunku Ismail to delay (the appointment) instead.
To this, Khairy laughed and replied, "Do you think it's easy for me to call Tunku Ismail?."