Consistency and coherence are often considered useful attributes if you want to make a go of it in politics.
Having clear ideas about what you stand for and what you are opposed to, and who your allies are, and who are not, would seem to be so elementary that they do not even bear mentioning. And yet. And yet… in the strange and topsy turvy world of Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, what you see is not always precisely what you get.
You all remember Zaid Ibrahim? Once an Umno division chief, then there was a bit of an issue for him to face in Kota Bharu. But then later on he was appointed de facto Law Minister as the Man of Reform and the Man of Action in the Government of Tun Abdullah Badawi.
Then, remember how he resigned in protest from that same Government in 2008?
And then in 2009 Zaid joined Anwar Ibrahim and PKR, and there he looked like a rising star. And he was supposed to run the Common Policy Framework group and try and formulate a common manifesto and policy among the three disparate (then as now) political parties (PKR, PAS and DAP) of that dysfunctional and extended family of families known as the Opposition. You remember?
Of course our friend Zaid, by now staunchly loyal to PKR rather than Umno, stood in April 2010 in the Hulu Selangor by-election as the PKR candidate, but unfortunately (for him) he was narrowly defeated.
And then our hero in October 2010 announced he was standing for the party post of Deputy President of PKR. Bravo! But in November 2010 Zaid Ibrahim withdrew his candidacy as a protest against what he called serious allegations of fraud and misconduct inside the PKR party and he then resigned from PKR and heaped vitriol on Anwar Ibrahim.
Zaid’s swan song from PKR was to announce that “over the course of the party elections, events have shown that the leadership actively condones malpractices and electoral fraud to achieve its designed objectives. I am certain that any political party with such hypocritical and false values will not be able to offer meaningful reforms to the people of this country.”
Oh dear. Such strong language from Zaid to Anwar. And they were supposed to be on the same side.
And then some more: “I hope those adoring fans of Anwar Ibrahim will no longer regard me as a “spoiler” standing in the way of their march to Putrajaya. I wish them well.”
Not at all a happy bunny, our Zaid! Seemed even a trifle dispirited.
And then, the last act, joining Akim and transforming it into Kita, and taking over at the end of 2010, and unfortunately in recent months running into one or two small internal matters at Kita. A bit of internal dissent, shall we say?
And now, with all that history, not all of it especially linear, or coherent, or consistent, what is the latest news from Zaid Ibrahim and his latest vehicle, Kita? Well, uh, reversing its earlier plan to contest seats at GE 13, Zaid’s baby, Kita, just coming up to its first anniversary, now says no, we will not be contesting in the coming general election.
Instead of contesting, Zaid Ibrahim’s Kita will lend its “unconditional” support to the Opposition led by…. Zaid’s old friend Anwar Ibrahim! Kita does not want to field any candidate if doing so would “jeopardise the chances of an opposition candidate winning a seat.”
That’s funny. At a dinner party not long ago in Damsanara we thought we heard people speaking about Zaid Ibrahim as being a de facto friend of BN. BN or PKR? Umno or PKR or Akim or Kita? Or what? And now Zaid’s Kita is befriending his old former friend, but then rival and then again no-longer friend Anwar Ibrahim, who maybe has now again become his friend, or just political bedfellow? Or neither? Sort of makes your head spin, really.
Maybe Zaid should just start a new party (again) and this time he could name it Zaid!
We give up. Would the real Zaid Ibrahim please stand up?