Pakatan still needs to prove it can rule, says Zaid

(The Malaysian Insider) KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 — Lawyer Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, the man charged with formalising the fledgling three-party Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance before the next general election, has laid bare the issues holding them back.

PR has been wracked with controversies, differences and disputes especially in Selangor, Penang and Kedah, which are led by chief ministers from each party, despite the pronounced rise in votes in last year's general election.

The former de facto law minister, who quit the Cabinet last year, noted the public's increasing scrutiny of the opposition bloc's ability to live up to its many promises made in its manifesto, in light of its first national convention due to be held at the end of the year.

“They seem to want to know realistically, the extent that PAS, DAP and KeADILan can find common ground in sensitive and divergent issues,” he wrote in Bahasa Malaysia on his website yesterday.

“The rakyat want to know how far Pakatan Rakyat is willing to implement their promises in their manifesto,” he added.

Zaid admitted that it would be an uphill climb.

A recent poll of likely voters also showed the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) still holding a slight edge over PR.

In the poll, two of the top key concerns voters have about PR is its constant bickering and the fact that it is perceived as having no viable candidate to be prime minister.

The ex-Umno man did not hold back in his criticism.

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