KUALA LUMPUR - Recently axed by his own party, Khairy Jamaluddin has declined to comment further on Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi role and value in the current government.
Khairy said he believed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has his own reasons when he established the unity government.
"I believe the Prime Minister needs a stable government and to build a stable government, he needs to have a coalition partner, a post-election coalition in this case, who can add value to his government.
"The question that needs to be asked by the Prime Minister himself is, do Umno and Zahid add to the value of his government," Khairy said during an appearance as a guest on The Breakfast Grill program on BFM today. ( Monday)
Khairy said based on his observations, the current situation will affect the party in the upcoming state elections.
"I don't want to say this from a personal interest point of view, but I will answer the question based on the decisions that have been made and not on those that have been suspended or sacked.
"Yes, I think Umno will be affected, because I think the public already has a very negative reaction to the decision made by Zahid," he elaborated.
Khairy stressed that he had no personal problem with Zahid
"I don't have any problem with Zahid personally, I still consider him a friend. He may not consider me a friend anymore, but I'm not against him.
"Personally, I just want an open contest because of the fact that he was the president when the party suffered its worst defeat in the election. And what I want is very simple.
"If Pak Lah (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) was asked to step down as President after we lost the two-thirds majority in Parliament, if Najib (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) was asked to step down after the 2018 election, the least you can do is, if you don't want to step down, at least let the party have its elections and let members decide," Khairy stressed. - AWANI