Zaid: Even if I knew who they belong to, we still need to respect the duty of the reporter.
The Federal Territory PKR chief reportedly said today that he would not “boycott” any media seen to be attacking the party or its coalition Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) leadership.
“It does not matter who owns Karangkraf or Utusan,” said Zaid in an interview with Sinar Harian today.
“No other newspaper has attacked me more than Utusan, but when I was invited by Utusan, I did not say boycott them,” he added.
Zaid has been interviewed by both Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia and the New Straits Times daily in recent weeks, complaining that powerful forces in the party were against his tilt for the party’s No 2 post vacated by incumbent Senator Dr Syed Husin Ali.
Several party leaders had lashed out at the former de facto law minister for claiming in a Mingguan Malaysia interview his candidacy was being blocked. In the weekend edition of the Utusan Malaysia Zaid insinuated supporters of Anwar and Azmin Ali, his main competition, are complicit in the hurdles he is facing.
The interview was awkward for PKR especially with Anwar asking party election candidates not to leverage Umno media to attack its own ranks.
Today, Zaid stressed that it did not matter who owned the media.
“I do not ask who owns The Star or the NST (News Straits Times),” said Zaid.
“Even if I knew who they belong to, we still need to respect the duty of the reporter,” he said, adding that he would answer any question he was posed with.
The PKR supreme council member said that Anwar’s prohibition about using Umno-controlled media could have stemmed from the paper’s relentless attacks against him.
“I think that this could be because he (Anwar) has been slammed a lot by Utusan. So, he thinks that the Umno-owned paper is the real enemy that cannot speak the truth,” said Zaid.
“I am not sure. You will have to ask him yourself,” he added.
This is the second time Anwar has chastised Zaid’s campaign indirectly after refuting Zaid’s claim that an “Umno culture” was emerging in the party and warning PKR members of possible “Trojan horses” within the party.
Today, the lawyer by training pointed out that the attacks against him did not matter as the responsibility of the media was to their readers and not to him.
“If Sinar Harian wants to lash out at me tomorrow but praises me next week, I do not care because in the media world, your responsibility is not to me but to all the readers of Sinar Harian,” said Zaid.
“They need to know the truth,” he added.
The hotly contested fight for deputy presidency which has also seen current vice president Mustaffa Kamil Ayub throwing his hat into the ring, has revealed deep divisions within PKR and thrown the party’s commitment to direct elections into sharp focus.
Azmin, who is also Selangor chief, is believed to be Anwar’s preferred choice, while Zaid is said to be popular with East Malaysian and non-Malay members in the country’s largest multi-racial political party. Zaid joined the party last year after Umno kicked him out for being seen with opposition leaders.
PKR amended its constitution last year to give one member one vote in direct elections.
Last month, some 400,000 PKR members began voting for divisional leaders and the 25 members of the central leadership council, including president, deputy president and four vice presidents.
The party’s 218 divisions will hold two separate meetings, one for the annual general meeting and election of divisional leaders, and a second to vote for national leaders.
The divisions will vote for national leaders on weekends, from October 29 to November 21.
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