Zaid likely to join PKR, analysts say

From Malaysia-Today
(The Edge) Despite the fact that he has all but thrown his weight behind the Opposition, former de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim has thus far been coy about joining any Pakatan Rakyat (PR) party.
Yesterday, he sparked a flurry of speculation about this matter when he indicated he was keen to return to active politics.
Most analysts believe it’s just a question of when but the party in question is not really in doubt. Most likely it will be PKR, they say.
And it would be for the best for Pakatan Rakyat if he does. Although all three parties, PKR, DAP and PAS are considered more or less equals in the coalition, realpolitik dictates that the leader of PR has to come from PKR for the simple reason that neither a DAP or PAS leader would be considered acceptable to the broader public.
DAP is seen as too non-Malay though it’s nominally multi-racial while PAS is seen as too Islamic, although it has progressive and modernist elements within its ranks.
PR currently has a unifying figure in the form of its leader Anwar Ibrahim but he is the only one. What PR sorely needs is a credible and acceptable No. 2 who can represent both PKR and PR at the national level. Such a person needs to be acceptable to all parties. Zaid seems to be that man.
That he resigned his Cabinet post in opposition to the ISA – the bane of many an Opposition leader as most of them have been detained under this dreaded law – gives him added credibility. That he was kicked out of Umno probably gives him even more.
Zaid never quite fit in Umno anyway. He was once accused of engaging in money politics by the Umno disciplinary board in 2005, a charge which he vehemently denied. He was subsequently issued a warning, but was very vocal with his dissatisfaction towards the investigative and sanctioning procedures. This led to a three-year suspension, although it was eventually reduced to 18 months.
His political career was dealt another blow when he was dropped from contesting in the March 8, 2008 election. It was BN’s disastrous outing in the polls that saved his political career within Umno. Shortly after the election, he was roped in by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to help bolster his credentials as a reformist PM.
As de facto law minister, Zaid tried to introduce reforms to the judiciary but faced strong opposition from some of his colleagues in the cabinet. This frustrated him to no end but the last straw was the detention of blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, DAP MP Teresa Kok and Sin Chew journalist Tan Hoon Cheng under the ISA.
He quit his post and shortly afterwards was seen at PKR’s annual congress in November. Umno subsequently sacked him. He was also seen in Kuala Terengganu during the by-election in January. Although he sat beside famous opposition icons, he fended off suggestions that he would soon be joining the opposition.
Zaid has recently returned to the media spotlight for his plea to the King to not recognise Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as prime minister because he was a divisive figure. This is the kind of rhetoric we are used to hearing from the Opposition but not from a former Cabinet minister from Umno.
At the launch of his book Saya Pun Melayu in Petaling Jaya yesterday, he told reporters that he will remain active in politics, but declined to say which party he would join.
Anwar, who was also present, was quick to chip in that it would be “the right party”. In a now-familiar refrain, Zaid promised to make a decision when the time is right.
Political analyst Wong Chin Huat feels that Zaid would most likely join PKR, although he felt would also make sense for Zaid to join DAP as his position on ethnicity and religion is very close to DAP’s stance.
“The Chinese in DAP will accept him; they love Malay critics of Malay supremacy and Islam,” says Wong. “It makes them feel safer.”
Though Zaid spoke openly yesterday about his great respect for PAS spiritual leader Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat, it is almost certain he would not join the Islamic party due to its hardline stance on the hudud issue. Zaid actually once sued PAS in 2000, when he was still Umno Kota Bharu division head, for wanting to implement hudud laws.
Political analyst Ong Kian Ming says Zaid would most likely join PKR as the party has broader appeal than DAP and PAS. However, he feels that Zaid will not join the party before he is offered a top position and a Parliamentary seat so that he can become an MP (he became a minister through the Senatorship route).
Ong says Zaid’s appeal would be very similar to Anwar’s in that he is acceptable to Malays as well as non-Malays from different walks of life and backgrounds. Also unlike PAS and DAP, which are well-established parties with many old-time leaders, PKR is a relatively young party. It would not ruffle too many feathers if Zaid were to be catapulted to the upper echelons of PKR.
PR is currently preoccupied with the three by-elections in Bukit Selambau and Bukit Gantang, which it’s likely to win, and Batang Ai, where it has a fighting chance. Having already won two consecutive by-elections, PR is looking to score victory after victory to demoralize the BN.
With any luck, it might just win all three by-elections on April 7. Imagine the momentum the Opposition coalition would be able to generate if it shortly after that it wins in Bukit Lanjan (should Elizabeth Wong go through with her resignation) followed by yet another favourable by-election triggered by a PKR candidate giving up his seat for Zaid to contest in.
But first things first: They have to get him to stop being coy and join PKR for that to happen.