from hero to zero - zaid ibrahim

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has gone from hero to zero in PKR after whipping up a storm over the contest for the PKR deputy president post.

IT must be true what they say about politicians needing much less sleep than normal people because Datuk Zaid Ibrahim blogged his decision to quit the contest for the PKR deputy president post at about 3am yesterday.
His friends and foes in PKR had seen it coming but they were still stunned when it finally happened.
Zaid, who left Umno and joined PKR last year, has been like a bull in a china shop since the race for the No. 2 post began, and yesterday he sort of broke the last piece of crockery.
The timing of his quit move could not have been worse for Pakatan Rakyat following PKR’s defeat in the recent by-elections.
Zaid declared that he was still committed to the Opposition’s cause, but given all that had happened the last month it looks like his love affair with PKR has ended.
Some think he has burned his bridges given that his relationship with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has completely collapsed.
It is doubtful if any of the other Pakatan parties would want to have much to do with him after this because DAP and PAS politicians have been watching Zaid’s erratic behaviour with a mixture of shock and horror.
DAP leaders are probably thanking their lucky stars that he chose to join PKR.
The party had also tried to recruit the former law minister after he walked out of Umno. They had thought then that he would be a fantastic mouthpiece to counter Umno.
Moreover, he had quit the government in protest over the use of the ISA on several people including DAP politician Teresa Kok.
But imagine if Zaid had joined DAP, then decided to contest a top post and proceeded to criticise the father-and-son alliance in the party – it would have sent the DAP rocket spiralling into outer space.
“It’s quite a pity but Zaid has lost his credibility as an agent of change in Pakatan Rakyat and PKR. He could have devoted his time to building the common platform in Pakatan Rakyat.
“Strategically speaking, he ran a lousy campaign, it was a train wreck from the start. And it is not on to call it quits only when the odds are stacked against you,” said DAP’s MP for Jelutong Jeff Ooi.
Zaid has definitely damaged PKR. There were no taboos in the party as far as he was concerned and he had poked at the sacred cows in the party, pointing out contradictions which party members had been silent on.
He questioned the passive role of president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the infinite powers wielded by de facto leader Anwar and he almost contested the No. 1 post.
His allegation of fraud and manipulation in the ongoing elections has hurt the party and cast doubts on the one member-one vote election process.
Some people will view his behaviour as a case of sour grapes but there are also those who are going to buy into his claims that ballot papers for the party polls were up for sale.
Lawyer-blogger Haris Ibrahim has presented quite a convincing account of this in his blog, harismibrahim.wordpress.com.
Party sources said elections committee chief Dr Molly Cheah was so frustrated with the way the polls were being managed that she wanted to quit her post, but was persuaded to stay on by Dr Wan Azizah.
After the first weekend of balloting, Azmin Ali led by 3,073 votes against Zaid’s 2,501 votes and Mustaffa Kamil Ayob’s 1,116 votes. By the second weekend, Azmin had surged ahead to 5,078 votes against Zaid’s 3,411 votes and Mustaffa’s 1,193 votes.
Azmin struck a commanding lead even in Sabah where Zaid was said to have the support.
But it was the discrepancies in Sabah that became the last straw for Zaid. He alleged vote rigging in divisions such as Libaran and Tawau.
For instance, 81 people attended the Libaran AGM last month but 800 apparently turned out to vote last weekend.
In Tawau, 84 members were present for the AGM last month but about 500 people voted at last weekend’s elections.
Zaid’s argument is that it is illogical that there could be such a vast difference between the crowd at the AGM and at the ballotting for the party’s top leadership.
According to Zaid’s side, this is not the end of the story and they intend to pursue the issue. But Zaid is not going to win much sympathy from the Pakatan crowd.
They feel that he only cares about himself rather than the larger good of the alliance.
Many of them are upset he took the dramatic step so soon after the crushing defeat in Galas and Batu Sapi. They said he should be thinking of helping them re-focus and re-strategise.
Pakatan is at the crossroads but Zaid may have come to a dead end.

Zaid blames Anwar and Azmin, wants them out

PETALING JAYA, Nov 9 — Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who caused a stir yesterday by withdrawing from the PKR deputy president’s race, now wants Azmin Ali and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to vacate their leadership of the party.

In a packed press conference at his home here this morning, the former Umno minister blamed both Azmin and Anwar for all allegations of election fraud and malpractices plaguing the party’s ongoing elections.

“I would like to say, if PKR wants to move, Anwar and Azmin must go... because they are the source of the problem.

“I may not get the support. I may get the support. You may think I am saying this by myself but on that, let us see,” he said.

Zaid even went a step further to describe Anwar as “fledgling, weak, tottering, [and] lack of focus”, adding that the entire Pakatan Rakyat pact would “suffer if we are not careful”.

He also suggested that he would be a good alternative leader in the PKR but quickly added that he would leave such a decision up to the party's members.

“I'll be a good leader but it is up to the people, the members. You have to consult them. You cannot say that oh, I am more handsome, I am a better speaker... you have to have some consultation and then decide who to take over,” he said, smiling.

Anwar, he said, was plagued with “personal issues” and should be given the opportunity to settle them.

“I think Anwar has a lot of personal issues... so let him settle his personal issues. Azmin is his problem as well. So both have to stand aside,” he said.

He accused Anwar of sparking off further problems in the party polls by openly campaigning for Azmin, said to be his right hand man, charging that this showed that the leader was biased.

“This is one of the source [of the problems]. That is why I said it is difficult when the party's de facto leader himself is biased.... going around telling the division leaders not to vote for me. So of course the election process is destroyed.

“The election should be a friendly affair so I feel that this is the source of the malpractices,” he said.

Zaid also said that Azmin, who is presently in the lead in the deputy presidential race, should be disqualified from the polls over allegations that the leader was tampering with the elections process.

Mustaffa Kamil speaks (left) while Zaid looks on during the press conference this morning. — Picture by Jack Ooi“People who abuse and chear must be disqualified,” he said.

Zaid also claimed to have video evidence of the alleged fraud in the party polls but said that he saw no need in presenting them to Anwar.

“Show him for what? It is better to show Bersih (coalition for free and fair elections).

“He (Anwar) said to prove that there is fraud. I think he has lost touch with the party if he thinks there is none. We have presented a lot of evidence of fraud... the votes are more than the number of members present, all kinds of things.

“I have statements from those who came to vote, using the membership tags of others, I have got tapes of people offering money in Alor Gajah. But I am not here for a slinging match with Anwar,” he said.

Zaid claimed that the weaknesses in the party elections was a “manifestation of the weaknesses of Anwar himself”.

“I am sorry to say this but this is the problem and I must be frank with you and the public. The fact that we cannot even organise a proper election shows that we are weak.

“The fact that only 6,000 members have come out to vote... what does that tell you? We have failed,” he said.