Nazri’s right, Zahid has to go, says Zaid

 

Zaid Ibrahim agrees with Umno firebrand Nazri Aziz that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi cannot lead the party into the next general election.

PETALING JAYA: A former Umno minister has backed a call for a change in the party’s leadership, saying this was necessary to send the “right message” to the people.

Zaid Ibrahim, who spent over two decades in Umno, said the party had to present the people an “untainted” leader if it harbours any hopes of winning the next general election.

“Nazri hit the nail on the head. Zahid must go,” he said, referring to the call by Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz for Zahid to take leave from his duties as the head of Umno and Barisan Nasional.

Nazri, an Umno firebrand, had said Zahid’s continued leadership of Umno and BN would greatly hamper the party’s chances of winning GE15 because of his trial on 47 charges of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering.

“As long as he is there, Umno will not be seen as a clean party,” Nazri said recently.

Zaid said that after Umno decided to cut ties with PPBM, the next big question it must answer is who it will put forward as its candidate to be prime minister.

“Whether it is Tok Mat (Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan) or someone else, this has to be made known. Umno must decide.

“You should not offer up a person who is facing charges. It is simply not right. Zahid may be popular with Umno members, but the party has to consider the feelings of the rakyat who will be voting in GE15. You need their votes too.”

Zaid said Umno needed to make clear to the people that it understands their sentiments and offers an untainted leader who is loyal to Umno and accepted by the masses.

“Otherwise, people will not believe that Umno has changed or learned its lesson from the defeat in GE14.” - FMT