Khairy said yesterday that Umno Youth members should not take part in the Bersih 5 street rally planned to take place at Merdeka Square, Kuala Lumpur, on Nov 19.

Khairy said disciplinary action could be taken against those who did.

However, when asked how he would react if Youth wing members joined the Red Shirts group, he said: “If they want to join the Red Shirts it is okay as long as they do not break the law,” Bernama reported.

“My advice is do not create havoc in Kuala Lumpur like what happened during the previous Bersih assembly when police officers were injured, shops were smashed. I urge the police not to allow the Bersih rally to go on,” he was quoted as saying.

Bersih, an electoral reform coalition, has called for a public demonstration to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak and to seek political reforms. The rival Red Shirts movement, led by Sungai Besar Umno divisional head Jamal Md Yunos, plans to hold a counter-rally.

Khairy, who was in Terengganu for an Umno Youth retreat at Lake Kenyir, said the Youth wing would step up its efforts to register more than 100,000 members as voters.

“We want to raise the level of the younger generation who support Umno and BN. We (Umno Youth) will discuss various strategies to increase the number of registered voters consisting of members who have yet to register,” he said.

“These youth (who have not registered) are made up of young people who have Umno members as their relatives.”