Zaid urges Dr M to redeem himself, give birth to new Malaysia

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Dr Mahathir Mohamad is now in a suitable position to redeem himself and lead the formation of a new Malaysia, said one of his stalwart supporters, Zaid Ibrahim.

Zaid said the former prime minister only had to persuade Malays to form a "real coalition of opposition forces", as well as rally the existing opposition to unite for a common cause that was bigger than just toppling BN.

"Mahathir now has the best chance to give birth to a new Malaysia - and to redeem himself - if he truly wants all Malaysians to live together happily, as equals, to become a prosperous and liberal democracy as stated in Vision 2020," Zaid said in a blog entry today.

However, he was sceptical that many would join this new opposition.

"If, as I suspect, there won’t be many takers, then Mahathir and his allies must be willing to go it alone because these principles encapsulate what a real opposition must be.

"It must not just oppose Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, or just corruption but also attempts to alter the basic structure and character of this country, so we do not become a corrupt Taliban country," wrote Zaid.

He said the new opposition must be centred around key principles, such as:

• A democratic Malaysia, and the rejection of any proposal for a religious state;
• A just legal system, without preventive detention and secrecy laws to protect the corrupt;
• An end to hate politics, and the outlawing of racial and religious discrimination;
• An independent Election Commission, police, and enforcement agencies;
• A transparent government which will eradicate corruption; and
• An opposition shadow cabinet that presents alternative policies instead of being preoccupied with bashing BN.
• "Getting as many non-BN political parties as possible to gang up for the purpose of winning an election - the usual method - is not my idea of a united opposition," said Zaid.

"Rather, it’s merely the politics of convenience - you will be united only superficially; and when the votes are counted and you still can’t get into Putrajaya, you will split up."

The former law minister was commenting on PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's letter urging the opposition to reflect on their defeats in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar with humility.

Zaid was also commenting on former Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin contemplating the formation of a new political platform after he was sacked from the party. - Mkini