Zaid laments attacks on bid to be PKR No 2
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is facing unprecedented attacks over his bid for the party deputy presidency, but is adamant in staying in the race and risk being “buried” like the late Tun Ghafar Baba in the 1993 Umno party elections.
Ironically, Ghafar only received four nominations in that contest and withdrew from the race in favour of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, whom Zaid is supporting for the PKR presidency.
“I was warned that I will be buried like Ghafar Baba. I remember the incident in 1993 when Tun Ghafar was attacked by Umno, resulting in him getting [a] low [number of] nominations forcing him to withdraw from contesting,” said the Federal Territories PKR chief in a statement.
“Umno was not even willing to honour him with nominations. It was all because of the emergence of a new hero then, Anwar Ibrahim,” he added.
Ghafar was then the deputy prime minister. He lost the government post after the party election and was replaced by Anwar, who was seen as the favourite successor to then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The former law minister, however, said he was willing to put his career on the line for the sake of defending the party principles.
“If I end up like Pak Ghafar, I am alright with it. In [a] political struggle, the calculation is simple. I’ll support what is right and oppose what is wrong,” said Zaid, who resigned from the Cabinet in 2008 to protest the ISA arrests of Selangor executive councillor Teresa Kok, blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin and journalist Tan Hoon Cheng.
Zaid, who joined PKR in June last year, said his announcement last week to contest in the upcoming party election has resulted in unprecedented attacks.
“I joined Keadilan because I want the party to work together with Pakatan in changing the political culture and political power in the country so that Malaysia will have a strong and fair government,” he said.
“In this struggle, my loyalty has not shifted even an inch. In fact my resolve is now stronger. That is why I’m offering myself, in case Keadilan members are interested in change in party and support the Anwar Ibrahim-Zaid Ibrahim team,” said Zaid.
He said that the party must first practise the principles that it has been fighting for it to be able to govern effectively.
“We cannot change the political culture and improve the quality of country’s administration if the party does not practise what it preaches. I will elaborate more during campaigning,” said the PKR supreme council member.
He also claimed that his opponents have tried to pay a prominent blogger to start an attack against him.
“The blogger was asked to write that I am willing to pay RM20,000 to every division that nominates me and to say that I am working for Tun Daim Zainuddin to destroy Parti Keadilan Rakyat,” said Zaid.
“My loyalty was also questioned by some PKR MPs, but loyalty to whom, it was never explained. Maybe I am not loyal to the party struggle or to the top leadership. I don’t know,” he added.
