Khairy: We will back PM Anwar if my allies or I become Umno president
PETALING JAYA, Jan 10 — Khairy Jamaluddin today said that Umno will continue to support Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's unity government if he or his allies become the party president.
Free Malaysia Today reported Khairy as saying that he wants Anwar’s government to last and remain stable.
The former Rembau MP added that he will not support any attempt of a ‘backdoor’ government.
“There are concerns that if there’s a change in Umno’s leadership, it will bring about political instability that will lead to the collapse of the government, another Sheraton Move, and another government will come in and a new prime minister (will be) sworn in.
“Loke, I want to say this clearly in front of all these people here: if I or my allies win the presidency, win the leadership of my party, we will commit our support to the unity government, to Anwar and to you,” he was quoted saying at the Regional Outlook Forum 2023 organised by Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute today.
Khairy was referring to DAP secretary-general, Anthony Loke, who also attended the same event.
Khairy said Umno’s upcoming party elections is “everything”, adding that it would either be for Umno to be reformed, obtain relevance, or its “rest in peace”.
He said the party elections were Umno’s chance to chart a new course and that any change in Umno’s leadership should not result in political instability, otherwise it would be used as political fodder against the party.
“(There will be) no change in government, no change in prime minister (if my allies or I become Umno president).
“Maybe a change in a deputy prime minister,” he said, drawing laughs from the audience.
The current deputy prime minister is Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Umno is stipulated to undergo its party election within six months after the general election.
Umno’s Supreme Council has yet to decide on whether the posts of president and deputy president should be contested in the party elections.
Khairy, who lost the seven-way fight in GE15 actually contested in the last Umno election in 2018, losing to Zahid.
