PKR unfazed by news of Zaid's new party: Good luck to him!

Nik Nazmi

Malaysia Chronicle

PKR leaders were unfazed by news that former FT chief Zaid Ibrahim would form a new party in January, saying it was his democratic right to do so.

"Good luck to him!" PKR director of communications Nik Nazmi toldMalaysia Chronicle.

Zaid is now considered a renegade by PKR faithfuls for having tried to roil their party with attacks against de-facto head Anwar Ibrahim and long-time vice president Azmin Ali, who beat him for the coveted deputy presidency in the party's recent direct elections.

Huge amounts of money - where is it coming from

In a press conference that appeared timed to muddy the PKR National Congress which began on Friday and due to end on Sunday, when Azmin will be officially declared the No. 2, Zaid said he would also announce the details of his new party in January.

"I wish to assure our (proponents of the party's) friends that we will have a new party in the country...and I wish to give an assurance that it will not be a fledgling party, we will become big and strong," Bernamareported him as saying.

Zaid's words immediately raised eyebrows, for while he is personally wealthy, pundts say it takes huge amounts - in the hundreds of millions - to pump up a party and by-pass the traditional decades-long gestation period.

Indeed, he has been accused of being a Trojan horse for Umno and was linked to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Most pundits have predicted Zaid's party will be friendly to Umno-BN like Konsensus Bebas - even though he may deny it just as Konsensus has done so.

Konsensus is also a group of former PKR members, who defected amid controversy and are now independent lawmakers in Parliament but clearly friendly to Umno-BN.

“I think he was a little bit impatient,” Wan Azizah told Malaysian Insider, referring to Zaid.