KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 — Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said he was against a political coalition with Islamist rival party PAS today, shooting down a suggestion by fellow party member Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman.
The Rembau MP instead urged the Barisan Nasional (BN) component party to be an effective Opposition party.
“I don’t agree with a political coalition [with PAS]. However, I’m open to working with them on certain issues. The same goes for working with parties that are in government now.
“Right now, we want to be an effective Opposition rather than an Opposition who opposes for the sake of opposing. We want to do our part in helping to construct Malaysia’s future,’’ he said at a buka puasa event with Umno Youth members here.
Umno Supreme Council member Tajuddin had recently suggested that Umno form a new political bloc with PAS to create an effective Opposition to the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.
Both Khairy and Tajuddin are expected to battle each other for one of three Umno vice-president posts.
With the new slogan of “A new Malaysia” touted by many Malaysians in mind, Khairy added that he wants Barisan Nasional to be more constructive in Parliament.
When asked about the cancellation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and several other initiatives taken by the new administration, Khairy said that he preferred not to criticise the government too quickly.
“The full effects of the zero-rated GST, which only started today, have yet to be seen. We need to give it time,” he said.
On the Tabung Harapan Malaysia, Khairy questioned the government’s motive for setting up the fund, claiming that the reason given — that government debt is out of control — is inaccurate.
“We do not agree with the narrative [that the debt burden is high]. It does not show the comprehensive picture,” he said.
