UMNO Youth confident national leadership can overcome challenge - Khairy

Its chief, Khairy Jamaluddin said all quarters must give the space and opportunity to the current national administration to revive the situation.

"We have gone through a more challenging incident in 1998. There was reformation and thousands of people filled roads but we gave the chance to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (then UMNO president) to defuse the situation.

"If we overcame 1998 (reformation), we are confident we will overcome the current hurdle," he told a media conference after a meeting with UMNO President and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak with 191 UMNO Youth division chiefs, 13 state Youth chiefs and 32 Youth Excos at Putra World Trade Centre here, Monday.

Khairy, who is also Youth and Sport Minister, was also asked the details of the meeting and explanation given by Najib on current events such as comments made by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Khairy said Umno Youth accepted the explanation by Najib who had repeatedly stated his determination and commitment over numerous issues including the process of auditing 1MDB which was still ongoing.

"Umno Youth hopes the auditing of 1MDB will be sped up if there is misappropriation and breach of trust, the culprits must be brought to justice.

He said Umno Youth would give its support and go down to the ground to help the leadership to answer current issues to avoid a denial syndrome and confusion among the people.

"After the interview (with TV3), the president had enlightened Wanita, Youth and Puteri the next day other than party members and the public. This is much lauded," he added.

Khairy said Umno Youth would never ever back the leadership blindly to merely protect their posts as otherwise the Umno ark could sink.

Asked if the challenges against the party currently would impact the Permatang Pauh and Rompin by-elections, he said they were part and parcel of politics.

Meanwhile, Najib's determination in meeting the Umno wings and briefing them on current issues proved that nothing is hidden from the people.

Johor UMNO Youth chief Hahasrin Hashim regarded the meeting as a step in strengthening the spirit of the party.

"We uphold the party institution. We back whoever is president of the party and we respect Tun Mahathir who used to hold the post.

"But, currently, we uphold the institution headed by Datuk Seri Najib, as such we must give our trust to the current president to lead," he told Bernama.

Permatang Pauh UMNO Youth chief Abu Bakar Sidekh Zainul Abidin said the meeting answered all issues bandied about by certain quarters recently.