Zaid launches ‘Get to know your leaders’ drive

Written by Chua Sue-Ann, The Edge

Former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim on Wednesday, April 28 launched a “Get to Know Your Leaders” campaign, in a thinly-veiled threat to hit back at the allegations hurled at him during the recent Hulu Selangor by-election.

In the course of campaigning for the parliamentary seat, Zaid had admitted to claims that he consumed alcohol but maintained that he did so in his younger days and had since repented.

However, he denied accusations that he was a gambler, saying he only had owned horses and was not involved in betting on races.

At the launch, the PKR candidate for the Hulu Selangor by-election said it was a “good thing” that his shortcomings were exposed during the campaign.

“I feel it is not wrong if it is true. The issue is that it is twisted, they were calling me all sorts of names to influence voters. That’s not right.

“Since they (the rakyat) know me very well now with this exposé, I hope we also know about our leaders. Let’s get to know our ministers better… Know your leaders, not just know Zaid Ibrahim,” Zaid told a press conference at his home here on Wednesday.

The former minister in the prime minister’s department also said his campaign would seek to expose the country’s leaders and ministers including “which casinos they go to (and) which mistresses they keep”.

He however denied this was “payback for what was done to (him)”, saying the campaign was to help people choose good leaders.

When asked, Zaid said it would be carried out “step by step” beginning with getting the right information and would also “expose” leaders’ wives, if he had the information.

Asked if he would name specific leaders as part of his campaign, Zaid said, “What’s wrong with naming them if we have proof and if we have information? That’s the whole idea of knowing your leaders. Why be coy about it (Apa lah segan-segannya)?”

Zaid also lashed out at his critics, whom he claimed resulted to very low slander against him but denied that he was “stooping to that level”.

“It’s not stooping down to low attacks, that’s not what I mean. We don’t want to slander, it’s not good. But you must know the facts about your leaders, otherwise it’s not a free country,” Zaid said, pointing to North Korea and Zimbabwe as examples.

Zaid claimed that he was “willing to be exposed if it’s true” and hoped Umno ministers and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also would be willing to face such exposés.

The former Kota Bharu member of parliament and Umno division chief also said he would sue Malay daily Utusan Malaysia for defamation after the newspaper purportedly cast him as an “alcoholic” during the recent Hulu Selangor by-election.

He made public his intention to sue the newspaper during a press conference to announce he also would file an election petition to challenge the Hulu Selangor by-election results as well as legal action against the Election Commission (EC) for the latter’s alleged breach of constitutional duty.

“Whatever I consume before, it was no more than (former prime minister Tun Dr) Mahathir Mohamad consumed or other Umno leaders had consumed. So you cannot call me kaki botol and spare the other Umno leaders. We will expose this hypocrisy,” Zaid said.

When told Mahathir had denied consuming alcohol, Zaid laughed and said, “Of course! He’s a hypocrite I am not. That’s the difference. What you expect him to say?”

When asked, Zaid said he would only claim a token amount of “one dollar” in damages and would not sue bloggers who might have defamed him as well.

“With bloggers, it’s difficult. There are too many of them and we don’t know who they are. The hired bloggers … are Umno donkeys paid to do their work to smear me. That’s all right, carry on,” said Zaid.