‘Spent force’ Zaid should retire
(FMT) — A PPP leader has suggested that former de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim consider retiring from politics following his decision to quit the Kita party which the latter founded.
In view of the uncertainty which Zaid allegedly created following his decision to leave Kita, Perak PPP deputy chairman Naran Singh said the outspoken personality should just leave politics.
He said Zaid is showing the reflection of being a “spent force” by making statements that he wants to contest in the Pekan parliamentary seat where the incumbent is none other than Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.
This, he charged, showed that Zaid wanted cheap publicity from this episode and many pundits are wondering if the latter is indeed sincere in carrying out his plan.
“Zaid should contest against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim or PKR deputy president Azmin Ali if he wants to make a political impact,” Naran added.
The Kelantan-born political maverick was once considered a rising star in Umno and he was made a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (overseeing law) during former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s last tenure.
He quit on principal grounds after disagreeing with the federal government’s move to impose the now defunct Internal Security Act law on a few individuals including a vernacular newspaper journalist.
Zaid subsequently joined PKR and was jostling for the deputy president post with the party’s present incumbent Azmin.
The lawyer, however, lost his bid for the deputy presidency and later quit PKR, citing voting irregularities as the reason.
He eventually formed Kita but was then involved in a spat with one faction which broke away from the party before recently announcing that he was quitting Kita altogether.
To this, Naran said Zaid was highly respected at one time, but now, many cannot seem to fathom what he wanted to do.
The political leanings of Zaid also seemed uncertain as he seems to side with Pakatan Rakyat, but had previously lambasted PKR, Naran said, adding that the electorate now needed leaders with strong convictions on how to move the country forward.
“Zaid must understand that voters prefer leaders who are steadfast in their struggle,” he added.
Meanwhile, Naran also lent his support to DAP chairman Karpal Singh for calling on the party to only allow its members to contest one seat each during the next general election.
