KJ: Zaid's candidacy will hurt PKR, not BN

Umno Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin today said Zaid Ibrahim's entry into the Kajang by-election will hurt PKR's chances of winning and not BN.

 

He pointed out that Zaid's message that a vote for him was a vote to keep Abdul Khalid Ibrahim as Selangor Menteri Besar was an attempt to capitalise on PKR's internal conflict.

 

"Here we see as if Zaid, who was once Umno and joined PKR (before quitting shortly after), is attempting to exploit Selangorians' dissatisfaction at Anwar Ibrahim's effort to take over as menteri besar.

 

"For BN... Zaid is only adding to PKR problems which the rakyat see as an internal strife," he said.

 

Khairy who visited Kajang for the first time today since the by-election was called also derided Anwar for allowing the party's internal conflict to escalate into a by-election.

 

"(PKR deputy president) Azmin Ali calls Anwar a world class leader but he (Anwar) cannot even solve the problem between Azmin and Khalid that they have to now drag the rakyat into it.

 

"What kind of world class leader that allows a small internal problem in your party to escalate into a by-election and inconvenience a lot of people," he told a press conference at a local food stall after a walkabout.

 

'BN must decide soon'

 

Khairy who earlier met with the grassroot party leadership also said that the central leadership needed to decide on BN's candidate for Kajang soon to provide certainty on the ground.

 

"The grassroots need to know from the leadership whether we are contesting or not and who is the candidate.

 

"Umno Hulu Langat, for example, has already mobilised but is moving with uncertainty, they need a final decision," he said.

 

Khairy said he expected that the BN central leadership will come up with a decision by next week.

 

Kajang is one of three state seats in the Hulu Langat parliamentary constituency.

 

The Kajang by-election was triggered following the resignation of its representative Lee Chin Cheh to make way for Anwar.

 

Anwar had repeatedly hinted that he may take over as Menteri Besar but would not confirm with certainty amid constant conflict between Khalid and Azmin who is also PKR Selangor chief.

 

Zaid, a former Umno minister, had joined PKR and contested against Azmin for the deputy president position in 2010 party election.

 

He dropped out of the contest half way through and accused Azmin of election abuses before eventually leaving the party. 

 

He later founded new party called Kita but eventually resigned from that party as well.