Zahid's get out call personal opinion, says Khairy

Sports and Youth Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has defended Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s call for critics of the 13th general election to leave the country as the latter’s personal opinion.

“It is his personal opinion. It does not reflect the government’s position,” said Khairy during a press conference at his ministry today.

The newly minted minister said Zahid’s statement should be seen in context of the whole article, that he said was trying to explain that the country’s electoral system that justifies BN forming government without a popular majority.

“He was trying to put across that we have a certain system in the country, first past the post.

“We don’t have a direct democracy. We don’t have a system where whoever wins the popular vote can form the government.

“We have a system of people’s representatives in a parliamentary democracy. So with this sytem, I hope everyone will accept the results (of the elections),” he said.

Zahid in a commentary piece published in Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia yesterday those not satisfied with the country's electoral system should "migrate elsewhere".

He was defending critics of the May 5 general election as being allegedly ridden in fraud, and the situation where BN formed government with a 48.22 percent of the popular vote.

Critics have attributed this curious development togerrymandering and malapportionment of electoral boundaries and constituencies to favour the ruling party.

[More to follow]