By Niza Shimi
Everyone has heard the quote; “This is quite a game, politics. There are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies, only permanent interests” by William Clay. Lawyer and politician Dato’ Zaid Ibrahim is living proof of that.
In an interview on Astro Awani’s “Consider This” show aired on Merdeka eve focused on Zaid's return to the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), host Melissa Idris asked how could UMNO take him seriously if he is “politically promiscuous, with no true allegiance, and having been around the block with all political parties?”
Zaid replied candidly, that’s what makes him special as he’s unwilling to be a hypocrite. He chose to always tell it like it is. That’s what led to him being suspended from UMNO in 2008. He added that he never wavered in his pursuit of justice, and rule of law. He stuck to his principles.
The Nut Graph reported on December 2, 2008, that Zaid was sacked from UMNO with immediate effect due to his actions. He had been issued a show cause letter by UMNO for writing an open letter to then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and for meeting with Members of Parliament (MPs) to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Zaid had served as minister in charge of legal affairs and judicial reform. He had also come under fire for attending the DAP victory dinner on November 28, 2008, and the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) congress the next day. He later resigned in protest over the arrest of three prominent individuals under the ISA.
Zaid then joined PKR in June 2009 but resigned in 2010 citing a loss of confidence in party leadership over party elections. He then joined the Malaysian Human Justice Front (AKIM) which later changed its name to Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (KITA) with him as president. He resigned in 2012. In 2017 he joined the Democratic Action Party (DAP) but left in April 2020. (Source: Wikipedia)
When asked by Melissa why he was returning to UMNO, Zaid replied: “I want UMNO because they can provide that solidarity, the energy and the strength to bring everybody onboard and institute real reforms. The splinter groups can’t do it. They are helpless in implementation.”
In 2009, Zaid wrote a book, “Saya pun Melayu” to explain why he resigned as minister and was suspended from UMNO.
In his foreword written in Bahasa Malaysia that appeared in The Nut Graph, Zaid explained (loosely translated) that there should not be Malay stereotypes. He wrote that having knowledge and positive values was more important than ancestry.
He reminded that Malay politics really needed to be reformed from within and without. He urged Malays to retain their upright character and to foster goodwill among races. He warned Malays not to become extremist or violent, reminding them that Malays are a people with dignity.
Zaid also urged Malays to be self-reliant and not to become dependent on government contracts as it would undermine them. He explained that he wrote the book to tell Malays that people with honour are not those who beg, that they should be independent, and know their own self-worth.
Zaid recently made headlines as his law firm was hired to represent former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in his unsuccessful appeal to the Federal Court. Najib is now serving his jail sentence in Kajang Prison.
In several video clips posted on his Facebook, Zaid stated his stand that there was a miscarriage of justice in Najib's case. He recently posted a five-part open letter on his Facebook to explain the legal ramifications of Najib's case and to address his (Zaid’s) detractors.
The five parts include:
- Why Najib was not allowed to bring in fresh evidence?
- Why he was not allowed an adjournment?
- Options available to Najib.
- That a new government led by BN must put forward institutional reforms of criminal justice in this country.
- Proposed reforms to the administration of justice.
The five-part open letter is a fascinating read. Discussion on fresh evidence involved the conflict of interest of Justice Dato’ Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali who was the High Court judge in Najib’s SRC case and sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment.
In Part 2, Zaid wrote: “All that Dato’ Sri Najib wanted was the Court to give him a fair hearing and for justice to be done. He did not want to lose on the applications to adduce fresh evidence. He was advised that if the fresh evidence is allowed, then Justice Nazlan’s Judgment would have been set aside and a re-trial ordered.”
Zaid added: “Let me also tell you something that is critically important. No one said that Dato’ Sri Najib was acting in bad faith. No one. Not the Courts. Not even the prosecution. It was a narrative created by the Press.
“This of course was for the usual reasons. Sensational news sells papers and increases traffic to websites. The Press also plays politics, Politics also sells newspapers and increases traffic to websites. Then there are the Press whose entire agenda is to support a particular political party or at the behest of certain powerful politicians.”
The five-part open letter is recommended reading for those who are interested in upholding the rule of law.
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