Indelible ink whistleblower dumps PAS for Amanah

Former air force major Zaidi Ahmad has left PAS for the newly formed Parti Amanah Negara. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, December 27, 2015.

Just months after joining PAS, former air force major Zaidi Ahmad, who blew the lid off problems with the indelible ink used in the 2013 general election, has left the Islamist party for Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah), because "PAS is leaning towards Umno instead of standing united with the other opposition parties".

The former fighter jet pilot, who was dismissed in January after he was found guilty by a military tribunal of breaking protocol in making public announcements on the indelible ink, first joined Gerakan Harapan Baru – the precursor to Amanah – before the new party was officially set up in September.

He said he decided to join Amanah, a PAS splinter party formed by progressive leaders, because PAS was not doing what it should be doing as an opposition party.

Zaidi joined PAS earlier this year "because it upheld Islam".

"I feel that PAS is leaning towards Umno. It is not what an opposition party should be doing.

"All parties in the opposition should stand united against Umno. That is the rule. But PAS is doing the opposite... and it even left Pakatan Rakyat."

The opposition coalition collapsed after PAS severed ties with DAP over the hudud issue about half a year ago.

The direction of the Islamist party, now controlled by the ulama faction, also led its progressive leaders to leave the party and form Amanah, including Sepang MP Mohamed Hanipa Maidin, who represented Zaidi in his case at the military court.

Recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak offered an olive branch to PAS, proposing cooperation between the two parties.

Najib, who is Umno president, and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang also shared the same stage and dressed in the same coloured outfits at the al-Azhar University alumni gathering in Kuala Lumpur last week.

At the event, Najib reiterated his invitation to PAS for both parties to cooperate.

Talk of this cooperation has now split PAS into two factions – those who are for it, and those against – such as PAS deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

Assessing the situation, Zaidi, who is now Kepala Batas Amanah division communication director, said Umno was looking for a lifeline as its leadership faced challenges.

"We are seeing two camps in PAS, and hearing voices in two different tones. But ultimately, it is Hadi (PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang) who will be the decision maker."

He said Amanah and the new opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan, which included DAP and PKR but excluded PAS, were heading in the right direction.

However, he admitted that as a new party, Amanah faced challenges of its own.

"I think it is normal that we are having ups and downs right now. We are still a new party and there is a lot of work to be done to strengthen it."

Zaidi also spoke of his new role in politics, which he said was vastly different from his 25-year military career that ended early this year.

No longer entitled to receive government pension, he has since gone into a direct sales business to support his wife and four children.

"I am the head of the family, so there is no choice but to move on quickly and stabilise our lives again.

"In Amanah, I do what I can to help out to develop the party. I help with party programmes and meetings, and recruit new members."

Zaidi said he was also thinking about writing a book and finishing it by March next year.

Writing was something he had been wanting to do for some time, he said, but he had to first focus on stabilising his business in the interests of his family.

"It should not take too long to write. Everything is already in my head. Maybe the book will be about me or about Amanah," he said.

- TMI