Zaid Ibrahim’s turncoat tendency culminates in extended cycle with his leaving UMNO to join PAS

 

“ WHEN nobody else wants you … Moon is #PASForAll ”

Such is the one-liner reaction from political commentator Prof James Chin to news that former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has jumped ship again – this time from UMNO to PAS.

“Like the proverbial frog, any political party could be temporary shelter for him. It is natural order of things that frogs move from place to place by leaping,”

This was how former DAP stalwart and United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) founder Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy once described Zaid – then a UMNO member – when he sang prises of Barisan Nasional (BN) ahead of the 15th General Election (GE15).

Henceforth, it would not be surprising if detractors mocked the legal eagle for having displayed his turncoat tendency once again following his acceptance as a PAS member last night (June 13).

As history has proven, Zaid has previously leapt to a new party when elections loomed – this time the Johor (July 11) and Negeri Sembilan (Aug 1) state polls.

‘PAS strives for equality for all’

“Last night I was welcomed as a PAS member by its top national leaders. They’re warm, sincere and friendly,” the 75-year-old founder of Zaid & Co which is one of the largest law firms in Malaysia with over 140 lawyers (which he no longer owns) penned on his Facebook page.

“I’ll repay their faith. I’ll work hard to dispel the image of PAS as an extreme anti-democratic party, not suitable for a multi-cultural Malaysia.”

When anyone takes him seriously or otherwise or as if his non-Muslim fanbase is unaware, Zaid went on to claim that PAS is “the only Malay-majority party with the strength and resolve to do away with inequality, hegemony and class preferences”.

“The essence of Islam will be the governing principle. You’ll not have under the PAS rule where we are described as equal but some are more equal than others,” he even took a pot shot at the ruling Madani government.

“That’s why PAS will govern Malaysia together with like-minded progressive MPs after the next GE.”

For context, the Islamist party has accepted 14 prominent figures, including former ministers, ex-state executive councillors, political leaders, academics and community activists, into the party.

This was announced by PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan at a gathering held ahead of the Negri Sembilan state polls.

Aside from Zaid, others included former Negri Sembilan state executive councillor and Ampangan assemblyman Datuk Dr Mohamad Rafie Abdul Malek, former private secretary to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Rahimi Osman, and former Perak state executive councillor and former Bersatu vice-president Datuk Hamidah Othman.

Extended party hopping cycle

In a span of 26 years since he joined UMNO in 2000 following which he won the Kota Bharu parliamentary seat in the 2004 general election, Zaid has party hopped at least six times.

He left the party after he was dropped as a candidate in the 2008 national polls to join PKR on June 2009.

He contested under the PKR ticket during the Hulu Selangor by-election in April 2010 but was narrowly defeated by P. Kamalanathan of MIC/Barisan Nasional (BN).

But in n November that year, Zaid who was supposed to contest the post of PKR deputy president withdrew his candidacy as a sign of protest against serious allegations of fraud and electoral misconduct perpetrated by his opponent Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.

He then joined the Malaysian Human’s Justice Front (AKIM), a tiny Kelantan-based opposition party, which eventually culminated in the establishment of the People’s Welfare Party or Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (KITA).

But in 2012, Zaid resigned as KITA’s chief with his political following which he was very much an independent till 2017 when joined DAP in 2017 “to reach out to Malay voters”. This was till April 2020 when he announced that he was leaving DAP in which he was the party’s Kelantan chairman.

Many thought he has completed a full circle in his political endeavours by having re-joined UMNO on Sept 16, 2022 following a short stint as former disgraced premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s defence counsel in his final appeal against his SRC International Sdn Bhd conviction in the Federal Court. 

 - Focus Malaysia