KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's former youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin has turned down an invite by his successor Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman to cross over to the latter's party, saying he is happy to be with opposition coalition Barisan Nasional.

"I'm happy where I am. Thank you," Mr Khairy, an Umno stalwart, said briefly to reporters when met at the Parliament lobby on Monday (July 8).

Pressed by reporters regarding Mr Syed Saddiq's invitation to join Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) where he is youth chief, Mr Khairy brushed it off before leaving the Parliament lobby shortly after.

On July 5, Bersatu chairman Mahathir Mohamad had called for all Malays, especially Umno members, to come together under the umbrella of Bersatu for the sake of unity.

The call was echoed by Mr Syed Saddiq on Sunday when he urged Mr Khairy to abandon the allegedly right wing-leaning Umno for a centrist-based party like Bersatu.

The ruling Pakatan Harapan alliance is set to have a presidential council meeting at 4pm on Monday to deliberate over Tun Dr Mahathir's remarks.