REMBAU: Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin will go ahead and contest the top post in the wing even if the party president decides not to defend his position during the party polls next March.

Khairy, who is also Rembau MP, said that although Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was his father-in-law he had never relied on Abdullah's position to garner support.

"I have never used my father-in-law's influence for personal gain. I will be banking on my record as deputy chief for the past four years and for the party work that I have done," he told reporters yesterday when met at his Hari Raya open house at Kg Gadong near here. Also present was his wife, Nori Abdullah.

"The Youth will decide who they want as their leader," Khairy said.

On Sept 26, Abdullah had said that he would decide by Thursday - when the 191 Umno divisions start nominating leaders for the top party posts - whether he would defend his position.

Khairy rubbished claims by critics that he was banking on his ties with Abdullah to win the wing's top post, adding he had the credentials to lead including being campaign director for the Barisan Nasional Youth in several by-elections.

He said he also hoped party members would not resort to money politics as this would destroy the party.

On a different matter, Khairy said the proposal to turn Barisan into a multiracial party was good in theory, but was not workable at present.

"We need to get the multiracial parties in Barisan to have a truly diverse membership before Barisan itself can be turned into one political party," he added.

Stressing this was his personal opinion, Khairy said Barisan could start by working as one party in urban areas besides its leaders carrying out programmes together rather than as separate entities.