Zaid: Pakatan should get its act together on leaders now, not later

Sean Augustin, fz.com

PETALING JAYA (June 4): Datuk Zaid Ibrahim feels that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition needs to address the issue of leadership now, not later.

In his blog today, the former Umno minister said the 'let's-win-first-and-think-later' stance should be done away with. The people, he said, want leaders that can be accepted and embraced.

"It’s no use pretending that all is well on this front," Zaid penned, referring to PAS' rumoured link-up with Umno and DAP's lack of Malay membership.

The lawyer turned politician said PAS members needed to ask themselves if they wanted to win the next general election with Pakatan or Umno. The party, he said, has to decide "once and for all," otherwise, they would be better off continuing their preaching.

DAP, Zaid suggested, could implement a PAS-style Supporters Club and work harder to dispel its image as a chauvinistic Chinese party.

"Simply denying it isn’t enough, only having substantial numbers of Malay supporters and members is the answer. 

"Perhaps DAP should consider wooing PAS leaders who are clearly non-ulama and probably have no future in PAS," Zaid said, adding that there could be many young Malay leaders in PKR who may be interested in joining DAP.

The 13th general election he said, revealed several pertinent issues that the nation needed to reflect on including the emergence of a younger generation who wants a say in how the government administers the country; the widespread recognition for an impartial and independent Election Commission and the ultimate willingness of most people to accept the electoral results, despite some grumbling and unhappiness.

“That leaves one more outstanding issue: Given all of this, which leader can take us forward?” he asked.  

Zaid said he felt Umno would want Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to lead the party, instead of current president Datuk Seri Najib Razak who did not meet much success in trying to reform the party.

Umno members, he argued, wanted a stronger Prime Minister especially in terms of protecting legitimate Malay interests while also giving all Malaysians what he thinks will be fair.

In the party’s eyes, a good Malay leader was someone who has strength and power, but also the ability to dispense the goods to other Malaysians and make them happy.

“But Umno, in the end, is not interested in reform,” Zaid declared.