Kluang Umno Youth chief Khairul Anwar Rahmat is sticking to his stand that he will not defend the actions made by an Umno Youth member.

Speaking to Malaysiakini , the 38-year-old civil and Syariah lawyer stressed that thuggish behaviour was not the culture of Umno.

“If someone in Umno commits murder, would the president of the party defend him?” said the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) graduate.

Khairul, however, said he took responsibility over the fact that the individual is indeed a party member of Kluang Umno Youth.

“But that doesn’t mean I will defend him. What’s important is to defend the party’s dignity.”

On the individual, named ‘Mus’, Khairul confirmed that he will be called to be reprimanded over his actions.

“We will tell him that his actions were not right in terms of the law,” he said.

Khairul, however, said that disciplinary action will not be taken against Mus.

On June 30, Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong’s entourage was barred from giving out dates at the Ramadan bazaar by workers there, some of whom sported jackets emblazoned with the Umno logo.

One of the workers insisted that the group needed a letter to be at the bazaar.

As a result, Khairul on Sunday invited Liew back to the bazaar, where the pair distributed porridge and dates together.

Khairul, who joined Umno when he was 26, said that he contacted a PAS member to inform him that the  incident did not originate from the party’s orders.

“I wanted to rectify the problem, I did not want people to say that Umno is a narrow-minded party.

“I invited them (Liew’s entourage) because I was worried that the incident would recur.

Khairul said he was thankful that the incident did not recur.

“When we came in, no one barred us, I guess no one would bar us if I’m there,” he said.

Car splashed with red paint

Khairul however said he was not aware that one of Liew’s aides, Sheikh Omar Ali, was called “Melayu celaka” after their entourages went their separate ways.

Sheikh Omar also on Tuesday, found his car, which was parked at his house in Taman Indah Jaya, splashed with red paint.

Khairul, who is also a Syariah adviser to a number of corporate companies, said he hopes to “erase” the incident as it was due to obsession with politics.

“The incident was due to one or two people who are too obsessed with politics. It’s Ramadan, so all parties should make peace.

“Just like an armistice, there should be truce in politics, even if for a while; for the betterment of the people,” he said.