VIDEO | 1.16 min

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar has urged the government not to protect those involved in corruption or those responsible for wastage and losses reported in the Auditor-General's Report.

NONE Khairy ( left ) in his winding-up speech said while the wing lauded the formation of a national level committee headed by the chief secretary to the government, Ali Hamsa, to look into the report, action has to be taken on those implicated.

"It would not be fair to ask youths to be thrifty (in tightening their belts) when the cost of living is high, but action is not taken against those culprits involved in corruption or who have caused  the losses as reported in the auditor's report.

"Hence, if there are genuine cases of abuse, take action against the culprits and do not protect them," he said.

The Umno Youth chief pointed out the younger generation is always upset when hearing of such wastage of public funds, especially when they have been asked to be thrifty.

The Auditor-General's Report 2012 has, as it previous years, reported numerous cases of wastage, such as RM800 million wasted as a result of the delay in the East Coast Highway 2 project.

Focus on the needs of the youths

Khairy said youths’ decision in future general elections will depend on the extent of their livelihood, their standard of living as well as being able to meet the basic necessities in life such as purchasing houses.

NONE "This is what they mention everyday in  the social media or coffee shops.

"The present high standard of living is a reality and it is not that they live beyond their means or is something that they make up. The problem is escalated further when wages are still the same as before."

He said youths working and living in cities also find it difficult to survive as 75 percent of them, earning a RM3,000 monthly salary, find they have near to nothing left at the end of the month after the required deductions for their homes and vehicles.

"They are not bankrupt or unemployed, but face the harsh realities of 'economic distress'. Hence, the government must increase efforts to help them," he said.

Although Khairy welcomes the government's move to have 600 transit homes built in  urban centres to accommodate the young, it is still insufficient as he said there is a need for more affordable housing.

He warned that the younger generation is  being seen as the kingmakers’ in the next general election, stressing the government's necessity to look into their needs.

Party cannot be oblivious

Speaking to reporters later, Khairy said the party could ill afford to be oblivious to what the people are talking about outside Umno.

He said Malaysians are quite pragmatic and understand the need to cut the budget deficit, but the government must be more austere.

"The austerity should be without wastage and corruption.

"I have to voice this out (at the assembly) as I do not only represent the young Umno members but also the youth outside (the party). The party cannot disconnect itself from the rest of the country as that would be very dangerous," he said.

"I think PM understands this and I keep bringing this up within the cabinet. I’ll never stop bringing up the issue of high cost of living.

"As youth chief,  I have to ensure young people vote for us. No matter how you address the problem, it is not going to work unless we address the fundamental issues as young people are feeling the pinch."

Khairy said if the government can show that it is cutting spending, the people will be more amenable to the austerity measures.

He said the public must be assured that something is truly being done to avoid the wastage in government.

"The issue cannot be seen in isolation as the (power) tariffs are going up, subsidies are being reduced. People will accept it more if there is good governance," he stressed.