UMNO vice-president Khaled Nordin said he would no longer entertain comments by Khairy Jamaluddin, saying the former Youth chief would continue to badmouth the party.

“If I respond to Khairy, he will not stop talking,” Khaled was quoted by Sinar Harian as saying.

Khaled also said that Umno should not expect Khairy to sing praises about the party.

Khairy, who was sacked by the party in January, had on Saturday said that Umno had slipped into a ‘dark abyss’ and had little chance of recovering.

Separately, Khaled insisted that a race-based party like Umno was still relevant and that such parties should not be rejected outright.

Umno, he added, was at the forefront when it came to matters that touched on the Malays, citing the recent issue of the usage of “Allah” by non-Muslims.

“Umno’s track record also shows that a party which champions Malay rights can still form a multiracial government.”