Zaid, KITA, 3rd Force and the Umno money that didn't come in

In the end it was “going against the law of nature” – read the 3rd Force is not for Peninsular Malaysia -- that did in Zaid Ibrahim and his Kita party.

Zaid, the Kita Chief, has in any case finally got his politics and relationships right, albeit grudgingly, by pledging that his party would be dissolved soon to demonstrate that he remains “loyal” to Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition alliance, all the way. Just when is anybody’s guess! It seems that Zaid wants to first get rid of the trouble-makers in the party who might be a stumbling block to dissolution.

Will PR reach out to him and reciprocate or conclude very quickly that once bitten, twice shy? Unlikely. After all, chances are very high Zaid might turn out to a Trojan horse for Umno although he has expressed regrets over going for the PKR Deputy Presidency when he was not ready at all.

In the end, Zaid may have been his own worst enemy, but let’s not write him off too soon.  Like the proverbial bad penny, he keeps turning up and his persistence may win the day. There’s still hope for Zaid in the political theatre although it is more likely to be on Prime Minister Najib Razak Umno-BN side of the political divide than Opposition Leader Anwar's Ibrahim Pakatan Rakyat.

3rd Force and a 3-party system

The alternative for Zaid may be to work together with the emerging 3rd Force in Sabah and Sarawak and secure its potential supporters in Peninsular Malaysia as a cohesive force. But if he wishes to remain in mainstream politics, then it is timely that he has finally realised that there’s no place in Peninsular Malaysia for a three-party system, only a two-party system as envisaged by the Pakayan.

In Kota Kinabalu on January 23 before a capacity crowd at a Chinese New Year function, it was obvious the resurgent Anwar and his Pakatan had found their second wind. To a wild cheering audience, Anwar harped on the need for a strong two-party system. He also wants the current race-based system – read Umno – to be replaced by one based on equal rights.

Anwar drummed home the message, quoting pearls of wisdom from Mahatma Gandhi, the late Spiritual Leader of India. There has always been an egalitarian streak in Anwar as evident, for example, from his undisguised contempt for corrupt Dusun and Dayak leaders in Sabah and Sarawak who did not hesitate to sell out their own people for the proverbial 30 pieces of silver. The connect between him and crowd was electrifying.

Zaid may not have been there to see Anwar in his element but he can smell the way the wind is blowing. He has seen all the ups-and-downs in political life before and now wants to cash in on the winning side.

Between RPK, Harris and Jeffrey

Zaid, after being egged on by fugitive London-based blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin and his comrade-in-arms Harris Ibrahim, had initially harboured grandiose notions of leading the 3rd Force in the Malaysian Parliament. The theory then was that this 3rd Force would steer between the PR and the BN in Parliament and would support one of them to form the Federal Government without itself being part of such a set-up.

It did not take too long for both Petra and Harris to pull the carpet from under his feet. RPK has been accused of selling out to Umno, while Harris has quit the MCLM.

A 3rd Force envisioned by his bosom buddy, Jeffrey Kitingan, would mean creating a national coalition based in Sabah and Sarawak to rival Pakatan and the ruling Barisan Nasional, both Peninsular Malaysia-based national coalitions. It was also not what Zaid had been dreaming about. In other words, Jeffrey's 3rd Force would actually be a 3-party system!

Zaid also suffered a good dose of reality when his visits to Sabah and Sarawak were poorly attended unlike the time when he was in Parti Keadilan Rakyat or PKR and he was feted like a hero wherever he went in the two states. It is worth noting that Jeffrey, who also quit soon after Zaid, is facing the same chilly winds.

Actually, the money didn't come in

We can debate Zaid Ibrahim until the cows come home. In the end, the harsh reality is that funds pledged to Zaid for his politics did not come through, a point made by the man himself on national television in recent days.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin and Mahathir Mohamad are believed to be among those who have failed to make good their financial pledges. Zaid's would-be financial backers appear to have shifted focus from him to fry other fish in the opposition camp.

Zaid himself is loaded – think Ibrahim & Co and the old Umno assets -- but not to the extent that he’s willing to risk bankrupting himself for politics. He'd rather laze around chomping on a cigar with a stengah – half shot of good whisky -- in hand.

Zaid loves the good life too much to kill himself in politics. He’s no Mahatma Gandhi and certainly no Anwar Ibrahim, willing to stomp around the clock to 'ceramahs' in way-out places and be persecuted or even incarcerated any number of times to ensure a better Malaysia.

To dissolve or not to dissolve

Without the necessary funds, Zaid was a dead duck in politics even before he hit the water. Besides, Zaid was seen by Umno as someone to be used to weaken PKR and not set himself up as a 3rd Force leader in Parliament that could potentially rival the BN.

Umno, in particular, is not totally averse to working together with a 3rd Force but only if it achieves steam on its own and threatens the Pakatan Raktyat but not the BN. To spend money to deliberately help a 3rd Force come into its own is simply not the done thing, according to the high command in the racist Malay party. So, it was bye bye Zaid and, before long, “Zaid who?”

Zaid has also complained bitterly about being criticized by his own party leaders and members. Much of this criticism stems from the fact that they are cash-strapped, besides the fact that Zaid had failed to take charge of the party and demonstrate real leadership skills.

Killing the party through dissolution is Zaid’s way of killing his critics once and for all and ending their career in politics.

The announced dissolution also forces the Umno bigwigs to decide once and for all whether to channel funds to the party and keep it alive or not. Hence, the invitations to Hasan Ali and Ibrahim Ali - two Malay ultras valued by Umno - to come on board and contest on the Kita ticket.

Malaysia Chronicle