KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — Umno’s Khairy Jamaluddin today said that there is nothing wrong with politicians aspiring to lead the country as prime minister one day.

He said that it shows that Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) are not short of leaders who can lead the government in the future.

“We can all have our ambitions. I am just hinting that I want to serve the country and the people and if given a chance, to be steering the government.

“We want to show to the people that Umno and Barisan Nasional have not run out of leaders that are able to lead the government in the future,” the caretaker health minister was quoted as saying in New Straits Times.

Khairy had three nights ago declared to Sungai Buloh voters that he was ready to lead the country, but in order to do so, he had to win a seat in Sungai Buloh first.

His declaration drew mixed reactions from top politicians, including Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who said it would depend on the results of the 16th general election.

Meanwhile, Perikatan Nasional chairman and former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin admitted that Khairy qualifies for the position, but is in the wrong party.

Khairy will face Pakatan Harapan’s Datuk R Ramanan, Perikatan Nasional’s Ghazali Hamin, Pejuang’s Akmal Yusoff, Gerakan Tanah Air’s Mohd Akmal Mohd Yusoff, Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Ahmad Jufliz Faizal, and two independent candidates — Syed Abdul Razak Syed Long Alsagoff and Nurhaslinda Basri otherwise known as Sifu Linda — for the Sungai Buloh seat.