KLUANG, Nov 9 — Caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said that caretaker health minister Khairy Jamaluddin is qualified to be prime minister in the future.

The incumbent Bera Member of Parliament (MP) said the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Sungai Buloh parliamentary seat just had to get the support of Umno and BN and win in a general election in the future.

"Ok, that’s what KJ (Khairy) said (desire to lead Umno and become PM), but not for now. It’s in the future.

"Of course, he is qualified to be prime minister in the future. If we win an election, get the support of the party, KJ is definitely is one of those qualified to be appointed as prime minister one day,” he told reporters at the prime minister’s gathering with people in the Ayer Hitam parliamentary constituency at Kompleks Balai Orang Ramai in Taman Suria, Ayer Hitam, near here.

Also present were MCA president and incumbent Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, Johor BN chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad and Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

Ismail Sabri was commenting on the incumbent Rembau MP’s statement that he wanted to lead Umno and become prime minister in the future.

Khairy was reported as saying at a ceramah in Sungai Buloh, Selangor last night that if voters there gave him the mandate now, he aspired to eventually lead Umno and become prime minister.

"If Allah wills, I want to lead Umno one day with the support of friends. In the future, I want to become your prime minister to develop this country, but I must win here first,” Khairy said, in his first public declaration of his desire to assume the top post.

"I have never said this before ... but the time has come for me to declare it,” he added. — Bernama