PKR to let Zaid off with a warning

By Adib Zalkapli - The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 — Datuk Zaid Ibrahim (picture) will not have to appear before PKR’s disciplinary board, as the body has recommended that the party supreme council member be given severe warning.

According to a party leader familiar with the disciplinary process, the PKR disciplinary board made the recommendation before the Chinese New Year holidays.

“It is almost certain that the decision will be endorsed by the supreme council as Zaid’s offence is not serious,” a supreme council member said on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to discuss the disciplinary board’s findings.

The Kelantanese politican was referred to the disciplinary board late last month along with Kulim Bandar Baharu MP Zulkifli Noordin, Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim and Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng.

Zaid, who was de facto law minister in Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s administration in 2008, had openly criticised the party for not taking immediate action against Zulkifli who had lodged a police report against a PAS MP Khalid Samad over the “Allah” row.

“Zaid’s action did not cause major problems to the party or Pakatan, other than the remarks he made, he has largely observed party discipline,” said the party leader.

The former Kota Bahru Umno division chief joined PKR last year to help in formalising the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition and to draw up its common agenda, which led to the inaugural convention in December last year and the launch of its common policy framework.

Questions on Zaid’s disciplinary case were first raised by Zulkifli last week who claimed that the party has never planned to take action against the former Umno man.

Zulkifli was supposed to appear before the disciplinary board on Feb 18, but alleged conspiracy to sack him, claiming that the date was chosen to coincide with a leadership conference in Korea which he is attending.

PKR had denied nominating Zulkifli for the trip and has rescheduled his hearing date to Mar 1 while Tan received the show-cause letter last week and is scheduled to attend the disciplinary board proceedings tomorrow.

Zahrain left the party on Feb 12 to turn independent citing loss of confidence in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and disappointment with the leadership of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Both Zahrain and Tan have been the most vocal critics of the DAP-led Penang government, claiming that they have been sidelined by the administration.