Zaid takes six-month leave, cracks in PKR?

PKR leader and former minister Zaid Ibrahim today announced that he will be going on a six-month leave, strengthening rumours that all is not well in the opposition party.

The surprise announcement comes amid talk that the former Umno leader is locked in a squabble with PKR vice-president Azmin Ali.

With PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali ready to bow out of the party soon, both Azmin and Zaid are seen to be potential candidates to fill the post.

There have also been moves by Sabah PKR leaders to oust Azmin as the state party chief.

Malaysiakini has learnt that Zaid was to be dispatched to Sabah this weekend on a trouble-shooting mission under the guise of attending a hastily-arranged Aidil Fitri function.

Azmin, according to sources, objected and claimed that Zaid could not be an honest broker.

In a statement released today, Zaid, who joined PKR in June, said he will not be attending the party's political bureau meetings.

"However, I will be leaving for Sabah and Sarawak tomorrow to fulfil the invitation by Jeffrey Kitingan in my personal capacity and not as a member of the bureau for the Hari Raya function.

"The invitation was extended to me a month ago and I have agreed to go there. There is no ulterior motive for my trip. I am not interested in Sabah or Sarawak politics and neither am I interested in taking over or something," he told a press conference at his house in Petaling Jaya.

The former law minister also said he did not discuss his leave with PKR supremo and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, adding that he has no reason to as he is still a party member.

The lawyer-turned-politician added that a letter to that effect has been submitted to the secretary-general of the party.

"Lately, there have been reports on the political friction in the PKR leadership with regards to Sabah and Sarawak and that I was in some way involved. I wish to reiterate that I am not at all involved in the leadership issue of PKR Sabah and Sarawak," he said in the statement released today.

"I have been invited to attend Hari Raya functions and gatherings by PKR leaders to meet the members, which I have accepted. Similarly, I have also been invited to meet some Sarawak leaders in Kuching. I see no sinister motive in these invitations," he added.

Not interested in internal politics

Zaid also said that he has no interest in the internal politics of PKR or of any of the other parties in Pakatan Rakyat.

"Neither do I aspire to assume a leadership role in PKR. I made this very clear to Anwar when I joined the party," he added.

According to Zaid, he joined PKR to help cobble together a common policy platform for the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which he had been hard at work over the past few months.

"This common policy framework for the coalition of three parties, PKR, DAP and PAS respectively, are now in the final stages and I expect to submit the policy framework to the leadership of the respective parties next week," he added.

Zaid also said that while taking the sabbatical for six months, he will concentrate on efforts to build a stronger Pakatan or opposition by working out the framework.

"Why do you think Umno and Barisan Nasional are frightened of Pakatan Rakyat by introducing the reforms, especially in Umno. The reason is because they are afraid of the opposition becoming stronger.

"We have to set aside our differences and mini-squabbles, which I believe has also affected our performance in Bagan Pinang," he added.

Zaid said that after travelling to Sabah and Sarawak, he will also go to Kelantan and Terengganu, to explain his proposals for the framework.

He expressed hope that the Pakatan Rakyat convention in December 2009 will approve the proposed policy framework.

"We must move beyond the BN bashing and sloganeering stage. Only clearly defined policies and a united leadership of Pakatan can convince Malaysians that we are a suitable choice for the rakyat," he said.

No differences of opinion

Asked to comment on the perception that he is taking leave because of differences with the PKR leadership, Zaid said he cannot avoid or dispel such a perception but the truth was that he was working towards ensuring a stronger opposition.

"That is my only motive and I am not being guided by anything else. I am not going anywhere (leaving the opposition or PKR). I am here for the long haul. I want to stay focused to my immediate task of building a stronger opposition," he said.

"This is not an easy task as we need to ensure Pakatan is accepted by all and we continue to provide quality leadership when we win. BN is a formidable opponent and if we within Pakatan are just hoping the public will support us as they did in 2008, it will be wrong," he said.

"This is what I have to say and if people do not believe this or are trying to politicise this than I cannot do anything," he added.

To questions over whether he has differences with Azmin ( left ), Zaid denied it.

"I do not have any differences of opinion with Anwar or any other leaders," he added.

Zaid also took a stab at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for raising the issue of his involvement in money politics when he was in Umno.

The former minister was Kota Bahru Umno division chief when he was found guilty of "vote buying" in the 2005 party polls.

He was subsequently suspended by the party's disciplinary board for three years.

According to Zaid, he had asked the anti-corruption agency to probe the matter when he was appointed minister in 2008. "I have not heard of the findings till today," he said.

He challenged Najib to instruct the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to complete its investigation into the allegation.

"I am prepared to face the charges if there is evidence of corrupt practice. But if I am innocent, then the prime minister should hold his peace and refrain from making such statements in the future," he said.

"I was framed by Umno and found the findings flawed, where the basic rules of evidence were ignored," he added.