Two down, one to go, Zaid

‘…The Ketuanan Melayu model has failed… The founders envisaged a government for all Malaysians… The creation of Bangsa Malaysia is the challenge of establishing a united Malaysian nation with a sense of a common and shared destiny. This must be a nation at peace with itself, territorially and ethnically integrated, living in harmony and full and fair partnership, made up of one Bangsa Malaysia with political loyalty to the nation…How do we bring unity to the people if we are not prepared to respect their dignity? …The obsession with the Ketuanan Melayu dotrine has in fact destroyed something precious in us. It makes us lose our sense of balance and fairness…my parting message is this: The people of goodwill must continue to strive to bring about change, so that we can rebuild the trust of all Malaysians. From that trust, we can rebuild the country where we do not live in fear, but in freedom; that the rights of all Malaysians are acknowledged, respected and protected by the system of law that is just and fair. There is no quest more honourable and a struggle more worthy of sacrifice’ - excerpts from Zaid Ibrahim’s speech at the LawAsia 2008 conference yesterday.

These excerpts do not do justice to his speech, which deserves full reading. The full text, in pdf, is linked below.

zaid-speech

On 26th April, last year, I said this of Zaid Ibrahim in a post entitled ‘Zaid vs Nazri - The debate and my thoughts’ :

‘I think you have tried to bring about change in UMNO and BN so that it might begin to dismantle its race-based politics. I think you have tried to restore some semblance of constitutional order to this country. You have failed, not for want of trying, but because the politics of patronage so entrenched in BN cannot be broken simply because of the vested interests of its leadership…if you stood in my constituency in the next election as an independent candidate, you would get my vote. I think you have done enough to rightfully be addressed ‘Yang Berkhidmat” ‘.

Six months later, in another post entitled ‘YB Zaid, you don’t belong in UMNO’, I urged Zaid to :

‘…get out of UMNO, stand as an independent candidate in any constituency in the Klang valley of your choosing in the forthcoming general elections, and this blog will throw its support behind you’

Zaid did not contest in the 12th General Elections. He was dropped from UMNO’s list of candidates.

In April, this year, Pak Lah appointed Zaid senator as well as minister to lead in reforms to, amongst others, the judiciary.

I thought Zaid tried his best, but ran into a huge obstacle.

UMNO.

In September, Zaid resigned from his ministerial position, in protest of the government’s use of the ISA.

Yesterday, during the LawAsia conference, he also clarified that he had resigned his senator’s position.

I just sent the following sms to Zaid :

‘2 down, 1 to go. U quit as minister & senator. Now dump UMNO and lead anak Bangsa Malaysia’
(Harris Ibrahim)