Zaid Ibrahim’s departing press interviews were very refreshing, particularly in terms of his saying he was a "failure’ in not being able to implement the reforms he identified as fundamental.

I wish to assert that, on the contrary, his contribution to the reform movement has been an outstanding success. Indeed, this can be said to be a case of ‘down but not out’ because of his confirmation that the resignation only gives him the opportunity, irrespective of which government is in power, to re-charge the batteries and forge ahead.

pakatan rakyat zaid ibrahim parliament anti isa teresa kok caucus 170908 05 It needs to be recognized that in spearheading the judicial and constitutional reforms, Zaid had sharply focused on the first step for the nation to develop the correct mindset of declaring fundamental basic human rights for all Malaysians inalienable.

Indeed, by so doing, he set the stage to assert that by providing such legal and constitutional protection and safeguards, citizens in fact were freed from the shackles of the possible abuse of political power and arbitrary police action and could work towards nation-building without fear or favour.

In effect, given the resilience of the people to withstand institutional constraints towards self-development across the board especially since political independence, the committed assurance of the protection through law and order must surely mean that other institutional arrangements such as the so-called social contract and indeed even affirmative action pale into insignificance.

But to fully appreciate Zaid’s ‘success’ one needs to understand that his current commitment to the reform movement is merely a continuation of his earlier well grounded public service activities that pre-date his appointment to the cabinet as de facto Law Minister.

It is on record that his contribution to the setting up of a variety of voluntary social and welfare organizations for all Malaysians to be in the forefront of direct action services has easily surpassed that of any other Malaysian professional to date.

Reform for nation building

pakatan rakyat zaid ibrahim parliament anti isa teresa kok caucus 170908 07 Above all Zaid believes and understands the need and importance of reform for nation building. He has convincingly argued that Malaysia cannot expect to modernize its economy without modernizing its society through universal values of freedom of conscience and inquiry, and has skillfully presented this analysis in his book " In Good Faith".

Indeed I have had the honour of inviting Zaid to write a forward to my book "The Finest Hour: Malaysian-MCP (Malayan Communist Party) Peace Accord in Perspective".

I have to say that his foreword is spectacular not only because of its contents but more especially since, as an Umno politician, Zaid fearlessly associated himself with the contention that all Malaysian progressive groups (including the MCP) contributed towards protest and revolution that led to political independence.

The fact that this book forms the basis for the inclusion of the only Malaysian Chapter of the Blackwell (Oxford) World-Wide Encyclopedia due to be published in January 2009 speaks for itself.

Indeed, the informal briefs clearly point out that no other publication in the entire literature from the pre-colonial period to date has managed to encapsulate the perspective that protest and revolution in Malaysia sowed the seeds of the political independence we enjoy today.

Zaid therefore cannot be allowed to leave the reform movement. Can I respectfully endorse, what he himself had stated he might do, and that is to set up a Consortium for Institutional Nation-Building in the context of Ethnic and Race Relations in Malaysia.