Is Zaid quitting Umno? Not yet, he says

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Former de facto Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim says he is not quitting Umno just yet.

Zaid replied "not yet" in a text message response to a query from The Malaysian Insider asking him to confirm speculation that he would be quitting Umno to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

He did not elaborate further on the matter.

But if the former minister does quit, it will certainly give the opposition bragging rights and refloat talk of cross overs.

PKR sources told The Malaysian Insider that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been courting the prominent lawyer and intensified the overtures after Zaid resigned from the Cabinet last month.

PKR officials are certain that he will switch his political allegiance soon.

His friends in the legal community say that he has been disillusioned with the ruling party and is intrigued by Anwar's pledge to overhaul the race-based political system in Malaysia.

If Zaid does quit Umno as widely predicted, it will represent Anwar's biggest catch since claiming that he had "the numbers'' to force the collapse of the Barisan Nasional government and form the next administration.

If nothing else, the defection will be a public relations coup for the opposition leader, who has received negative press over his inability to make good on his promise of forming a new government by Sept 16. But Anwar will still be 31 MPs short of forcing a change in government. The reason: Zaid is a member of the Senate and not Dewan Rakyat.

Zaid's possible cross over will sting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi more than Umno because it was the latter who appointed the maverick politician a senator and made him a minister after the March 8 general election.

Zaid quit the Cabinet after the government used the Internal Security Act on a journalist, an opposition politician and a blogger. He also said that he was disillusioned because of resistance he faced in the Cabinet when pushing for reforms to the judiciary, especially the setting up of the Judicial Appointments Commission.

In many ways, if he leaves Umno, it will not be surprising. He has pushed for more transparency; a review of the ISA; equality for all races and a complete overhaul of the beleaguered judiciary — issues which do not have much traction in the ruling party.

Also, party officials say that he was upset at the manner his supporters in the Kota Baru division were "blocked'' from nominating him to contest the top post in the division. The current division chief is Datuk Mohd Fatmi Che Salleh, political secretary to Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

-TMI