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BN Youth to
explain
Husna Yusop
KUALA
LUMPUR:
Having
listened to
Umno Youth
deputy chief
Khairy
Jamaluddin's
explanation
today (Oct
3, 2006),
Barisan
Nasional (BN)
Youth
leaders have
agreed to go
to the
ground to
explain his
remarks
which upset
the Chinese
community.
BN Youth
chief Datuk
Seri
Hishammuddin
Hussein said
Khairy had
told them
his struggle
was sincere,
and his
intention
was not to
marginalise
the other
races or
groups.
In August,
Khairy, who
is also the
prime
minister's
son-in-law,
came under
fire for
saying at an
Umno
divisional
delegates
meeting in
Kedah the
Chinese
community
would try
and take
advantage of
a weak Umno.
"Khairy said
the issue
was widely
played up
and he was
misinterpreted
by certain
quarters,"
Hishammuddin
said after
the BN Youth
exco
meeting.
"I feel
proud and
impressed
with the
understanding
we have
achieved
because, for
the first
time, our
meeting
discussed a
personal and
sensitive
issue."
He said it
was
important
for
component
party
leaders to
work
together for
all groups
regardless
of race and
religion.
Asked
whether all
the parties
accepted
Khairy's
explanation,
Hishammuddin
said it was
best not to
disclose
what
transpired
in detail as
it would
only prolong
the issue.
"I asked
them
repeatedly,
and they
said they
were all
satisfied
with his
explanation.
But I leave
it to my
colleagues
(in the
youth exco)
to explain
the details
to their
members," he
said.
At a
separate
press
conference
later, MCA
Youth chief
Datuk Liow
Tiong Lai
and Gerakan
Youth chief
Datuk Mah
Siew Keong
were
non-committal
about
whether they
were
satisfied
with
Khairy's
explanation.
But they
said they
were
satisfied
with the
meeting
which was
"very frank"
and which
allowed
everyone to
speak up and
to convey
the people's
sentiment.
On whether
the BN will
advise
Khairy to be
more careful
so that he
would not be
misconstrued
again in
future,
Hishammuddin
said the
advice
applied to
everyone.
Asked
whether he
sees MCA and
Gerakan
Youth's
arguments as
baseless, he
said it was
not the case
as their
arguments
were made
before
Khairy's
explanation.
"We must
always go
forward.
What is
important
now is not
so much to
look back.
Whatever
hiccups we
faced in the
past, there
are channels
for us to
overcome
it," he
said.
Hishammuddin
also said he
could not
say that the
issue was
completely
resolved
with only
one meeting
as he
believed the
debates in
the media
would
continue.
"Issues
related to
race and
religion in
Malaysia
will never
be settled
just like
that. We
must
continue to
ensure such
issues will
not
eventually
disunite the
coalition,"
he said.
On MCA and
Gerakan's
call for
Khairy to
apologise,
he said the
question of
an apology
was raised
before
today's
explanation,
adding that
it was not
fair to
focus only
on the calls
by the two
parties as
views from
other
component
parties must
also be
considered. |
