Khairy: I got results while others spewed Malay rhetoric

Incumbent Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has defended the apparent lack of racial rhetoric in the Youth wing under his tenure, saying that his leadership had produced more results than mere words.

"I understand people have said that NGOs have taken over (Umno Youth's role) but the NGOs have only taken over in terms of rhetoric.

"But in terms of the real work, we (Umno Youth) have done it," he told Mingguan Malaysia in an interview published today.

He was responding to criticism from rival contenders for his position who have accused him of steering Umno Youth away from its roots of being a Malay pressure group.

"Yes, we can chant about the party's struggle, religion, race and country - and we still do - but youths today want more than rhetoric," he was quoted saying.

He pointed out examples such as the BN Youth job fair that saw some 140,000 people getting jobs, 90 percent of whom were Malays.

Furthermore, Khairy said while he was Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional (PUNB) chairperson, he had also organised events as well as secured extra funding for bumiputera entrepreneurs.

"Maybe people may see this (his methods) as different from the NGOs, but I feel the results is more effective than what they (the NGOs) are doing," he told the Umno-owned daily.