Khairy distances himself from Najib and 1MDB

(The Star) – Umno presidential candidate Khairy Jamaluddin says not continuing to question over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal was his biggest regret.

“After the election, I admit it was one of the shortcomings and weaknesses when Umno Youth did not continue to question or voice out on 1MDB,” he said during the party presidential debate which was broadcast live over Astro Awani on Friday night (June 29).

Khairy was given a question by social media user Rimau 11, who had asked the Rembau MP why he had still shown his loyalty to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak despite the 1MDB scandal, although he had asked the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to question businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, in 2015.

In his response, Khairy said the PAC report at the time did not implicate Najib of any wrongdoing, and Umno Youth simply accepted the explanation and stopped asking questions.

He added the inability of Umno’s leadership to voice out about the scandal had cost the party in the May 9 polls.

Khairy said because of the costly mistake, he said Umno members should not treat its party president or the prime minister as a “political god”.

“We voiced out, but we stopped asking about 1MDB, which is why this happened (lost the election),” he said.

The debate also featured Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and acting party president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The other candidates vying for the presidential post in Saturday’s polls (June 30) are Bandar Tun Razak division committee member Mohamed Iqbal Maricair and Iskandar Puteri division member Mohd Yusof Musa @ Jamaluddin.