Zahid's get out call personal opinion, says Khairy

Sports and Youth Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has defended Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's call for critics of the 13th general election to leave the country as the latter's personal opinion.

"It is his personal opinion. It does not reflect the government's position," said Khairy during a press conference at his ministry today.

The newly minted minister said Zahid's statement should be seen in context of the whole article, that he said was trying to explain that the country's electoral system that justifies BN forming government without a popular majority.

"He was trying to put across that we have a certain system in the country, first past the post.

"We don't have a direct democracy. We don't have a system where whoever wins the popular vote can form the government.

"We have a system of people's representatives in a parliamentary democracy. So with this sytem, I hope everyone will accept the results (of the elections)," he said.

Zahid in a commentary piece published in Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia yesterday those not satisfied with the country's electoral system should "migrate elsewhere".

He was defending critics of the May 5 general election as being allegedly ridden in fraud, and the situation where BN formed government with a 48.22 percent of the popular vote.

Critics have attributed this curious development to gerrymandering and malapportionment of electoral boundaries and constituencies to favour the ruling party.

'Don't take revenge'

Meanwhile commenting on Prime Minister Najib Razak's comment about a " national reconciliation process " in light of what he called a "Chinese tsunami" that allegedly caused BN's poor election showing, Khairy said revenge should not be on the agenda.

"There are those who voted for us, and those who did not.

"We were chosen to be the government. As leaders, we should undertake our responsibilities without any prejudice, and act in a fair and equitable manner," he said.

He added that if the opposition was unhappy with the election results, they should take the matter to court rather than to the streets.