Whether he is the son-in-law of the prime minister or a Felda settler, he will still be assessed accordingly when it comes to being considered as a candidate for the upcoming election.

So said Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein when asked if his deputy Khairy Jamaluddin had been shortlisted as a candidate.

“We will assess them on their credibility and whether they can be accepted at all levels, including the state level administration and by the people in the constituency,” he told reporters after launching the E-Guru pilot project to be tried out in six schools in the Klang Valley, and the joint Chinese New Year celebrations that brought some 1,300 Umno Youth members together at the SJK(C)Lick Hung here.

Hishamuddin said that nominations would depend on feedback from the menteris besar of the states and the decision would be left to the top leadership.

“We have heard from the Negeri Sembilan state government that the Rembau Umno division has named Khairy as a candidate,” he said. “But I consider his nomination just like everyone else’s. It is no different ... whether he is the son-in-law of the prime minister, the son of the former prime minister or even a Felda settler, the criteria is that he must have proven himself.”