Irresponsible to question choice of candidates: Khairy

KUANTAN: It is irresponsible for anyone to openly question Barisan Nasional (BN)'s system for selecting candidates for the 14th general election (GE14) including in the social media, just because they were not chosen to contest, said BN Youth chairman Khairy Jamaluddin.
Instead, he said, they should be matured and accept the decision made by the party's top leadership.
"This is the time when the party members are tested, to see if what we have been saying all this while was just rhetoric or true loyalty to the party.
"All this time, we have heard them say they will support whoever is chosen. So now, we get to see how those who have not been selected handle this test," he told reporters after launching the second phase of the Mokhtar Dahari National Football Academy here today.
Also present was Datuk Mokhtar Dahari's widow, Datin Tengku Zarina Tengku Ibrahim.
Khairy, who is also Umno Youth chief, said even within Umno Youth, many members were not selected, but they still went down to the ground to ensure victory for BN.
On the academy, Khairy said it was implemented through the National Football Development Programme at a cost of RM85 million and would help produce world-class football players.
"The academy received its first group of students two weeks ago, comprising 185 students from Forms One to Four. In total, it can accommodate up to 375 students," he said.
Khairy said the students of the academy were the best of those selected for training at various football training centres throughout the country.
He added that the second phase of the academy involved the construction of 10 football fields including a synthetic one, as well as other facilities such as a physiotherapy centre.
The first phase comprised a building and five fields.
In a separate development, Khairy said he had yet to receive a report on allegations that a national athlete who obtained a bronze medal in the Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast Australia had failed the doping test conducted by the Malaysian Anti-doping Agency (Adamas).
The allegations were made two days ago on the social media by a former sports reporter, claiming that the athlete underwent the doping test before the games, but the results were obtained after the event ended. — Bernama