FMT EXCLUSIVE PETALING JAYA: The cool breeze from an earlier downpour seemed to have failed to soothe former PKR supreme council member Zaid Ibrahim: he is still full of resentment over his former party which he left on Nov 16.
Speaking from his luxury home in Tropicana here, he accused the party of being a “cult organisation” as it was fixated on “certain individuals”.
“Their (PKR) problem is that they do not want other people to come up unless they belong to the clique. It is like a cult organisation. Only certain people can rise in PKR,” said Zaid, who was seated at his patio.
He cited an example where the party's de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim, had made many empty promises to the people in the previous general election, but nobody questioned him as they were too engrossed in him.
“Anwar had promised a lot of things in this country... But no one asked him why he never delivered any of those things. This is because they are fixated on him,” he said, adding that this worrying trend would last forever.
Fending off attacks levelled against him by his former party comrades, Zaid claimed that no one had been able to provide evidence to substantiate allegations that he was a traitor to their cause.
“No one asked him (Anwar) to show proof that I am a traitor. Did anyone ask him, as a responsible leader, how could he allow so many traitors into his party? Is there no vetting procedure? What did they do? How much did Umno pay me?
“When leaders make certain accusations, they have to be substantiated. But in this country some people are exempted from this rule. He (Anwar) is a charmer... he can charm you. Because I am disturbing their dreams, they are taking it out on me. But when the dust settles, I am sure that I will be all right,” he said.
'PKR's days numbered'
Zaid gave PKR a warning: its days are numbered... the Pakatan Rakyat coalition will never step foot in Putrajaya as long as Anwar is helming the pact.
“People are so obsessed about changing the government that they will just support any leader for that (purpose). But I do not buy or believe it. I think that is stupid and emotional.“You have to replace the existing leader with someone who is better. I do not see that happening today. On the menu, you have (Prime Minister) Najib Tun Razak and Anwar. Although I am in the opposition, I think that Najib is way ahead in terms of ability and integrity.
“So to replace one with the another... you need to have a good reason. I am not obsessed about changing anyone. It is the policies that I am concerned about. As long as Anwar leads Pakatan, the opposition pact will not be able to take over the government,” said Zaid.
Former deputy president, Syed Husin Ali, was also not spared from his venom. Zaid called the former leader an “arrogant” man for blindly dismissing those who wished to leave the party.
“Syed Husin, for example, was very arrogant when he said those who want to leave can leave; if you want to hang yourself, please do so.
“He himself was a leader who has not achieved much for himself,” said Zaid, the former law minister.
He added that when he (Syed Husin) merged his then-party Parti Rakyat Malaysia with then Parti Keadilan Nasional to form PKR, not many of his own followers joined the new entity.
'I don't endorse phony politics
When asked about party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's allegation that he was an “impatient person”, Zaid claimed that party members just threw those accusation at him for the sake of berating him.
“Some people say I am power-crazy. These people do not understand. What am I chasing? I joined PKR because I thought through the party, I could help transform the country in the way that I think political parties should do.
“I am not here to support or endorse phony politics... politics that are against the grain of good behaviour. Why should I do that? Why would anyone do that? Unless of course they are the ones who are power-crazy... to them as long as they get to Putrajaya, it does not really matter.”
He added that his detractors can continue slandering him but expressed confidence that people will understand his convictions soon enough.
“It is just that a lot of people are angry with me because I have disturbed their dream. They have this idea that the opposition is getting stronger, but I am giving them a wake-up call and no one likes to be woken up, especially if they are having a good dream,” he said.
However, Zaid expressed confidence that the Malaysian public will judge him on a more positive note in due time.“I have been saying that there are a lot of flaws in this opposition system, in PKR especially; the leaders whom you think you know, you do not really know. They do not like hearing this. But over time I think they will understand and they will like me again... hopefully,” he smiled.
When asked about his relationship with other partners in the opposition coalition, PAS and DAP, Zaid said that it depended on how both parties viewed Anwar's role in the opposition.
“If Pakatan and my party find that we have common views, it will be up to them to decide whether they want to work with me. If PAS and DAP think that Anwar is indispensable and he is God's gift to Malaysia, then they cannot work with me.
“That is because I am not God's gift to anyone. I am just an ordinary Malaysian who wants to see a better set of policies and laws for this country,” said Zaid.
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