Zaid’s exit ‘no impact’ on PKR, says prof
By Zefry Dahalan, Free Malaysia Today
KUALA LUMPUR: Zaid Ibrahim’s exit from PKR would not affect the opposition party’s chances in the next general election, said constitutional expert Prof Abdul Aziz Bari.
Speaking to FMT after a closed-door PKR Youth meet last week, the academic described Zaid’s possible departure as not a major issue.
“Onn Jaafar was the founder of Umno and was regarded as a hero at that point of time. But when he quit Umno and formed Parti Negara, he did not have any major impact on Umno. In fact, Umno became stronger after that.
“Another example is when Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah quit Umno and formed Semangat 46. That did not have any significant impact on Umno and eventually Razaleigh’s party collapsed,” he said.
Based on these examples and his own analysis, Abdul Aziz felt that Zaid’s exit would not weaken PKR, but could probably have the reverse effect instead.
‘Shortcomings in polls unavoidable’
The professor also defended the accusation-ridden PKR elections, saying that problems were bound to arise during the first attempt.
“To be fair, the party election which is open to every single member is a first in the attempt to install greater democracy.
“Since this is the first time such an election is held in a large-scale manner, weaknesses are bound to be there. We must give the party more time. I believe the leadership will rectify the shortcomings and weaknesses in future,” he added.
