By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani (Malaysian Insider)
KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 — Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said today that he has no knowledge of the smear campaign against PKR candidate Datuk Zaid Ibrahim in the Hulu Selangor by-election.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) campaign in Hulu Selangor has been focusing on Zaid’s past drinking habit and it continued last night during an Umno Youth-organised public rally, “Pentas Pemuda.”
The BN Youth chief said political parties should not resort to personal attacks.
“We should not have to resort to attacking or assassinating someone’s character. I wouldn’t know if BN is behind this. I don’t think this is the plan. I have no knowledge of this. This was not started by us but by others. This has never been the plan.
“But what I am trying to say is that we shouldn’t continue to play with this issue. It may have been started by other people but we shouldn’t be seen near this issue,” he told reporters in Parliament today.
PKR Youth today also lodged a report with the Election Commission in Kuala Kubu Bharu, urging it to remove provocative campaign billboards and materials which, among others, show PKR’s Datuk Zaid Ibrahim consuming alcohol.
Khairy said that BN was also against the banners and he has asked BN Youth members to remove the materials.
“I have instructed BN Youth to remove any banners that attack any candidate. This is not our intention and we are against it. I know this is happening on both sides and I hope that the remainder of the by-election can be conducted in a clean manner,” he said.