Despite indications that his ‘liberal’ image is hard for the rural Malay voters in the constituency to swallow, PKR Hulu Selangor by-election candidate Zaid Ibrahim is confident he will have no problems attracting Malay votes.

“I won in Kota Bharu where there were more than 80 percent Malay voters. In Hulu Selangor, it is 56 percent,” he told Malaysiakini in an interview held at his home yesterday.

NONE Zaid ( right ) also refuted claims that he is a Malay ‘traitor’, saying that it is all part of Umno propaganda.

“What does ‘liberal’ mean? I am ‘liberal’ in the sense that I do not accept the concept of Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy). I say that we are all citizens and we are the same.

“No one is going to pawn away what rightfully belongs to the Malay, but I am against Malays… who rob their own kind while at the same time yelling out Ketuanan Melayu ,” he said.  

He added that those who consider this a bad thing are people who are used to power being held by only a handful of people.

Social justice and human rights are universal values which are not matters that only urban dwellers understand, he said.  

NONE “Do you think that kampung people don’t get upset when their children are detained without explanation?” asked Zaid, who confessed that as a party newbie, his candidacy came as a surprise.

Still, a recent Merdeka Centre poll estimated that two-thirds of Malays support the views of hardline Malay rights’ champions Perkasa.

“I am not seeking popularity over principles. If I am unpopular for something that is true, then I accept the rakyat’s decision. I will not sway from my fundamental struggle,” he said.

Income disparity

Included in the list of PKR campaign issues are also bread-and-butter matters like the low income of Hulu Selangor residents, an issue Zaid said he is familiar with when he was MP in Kota Bharu.

“We are a rich country but this is not enjoyed by estate workers, farmers, Felda settlers and factory workers.

NONE “Why should we invest thousands of millions of ringgit in submarines when our people working in the plantations only earn RM700 a month?” he asked.

Land is also an important issue in Hulu Selangor, he added, and he is able to solve this problem as he has a good relationship with Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim.

PKR will campaign on the issue of abandoned residential projects, like the Bukit Botak project which has been hogging headlines throughout Pakatan’s rule in Selangor.

“The previous BN Selangor government left many abandoned residential and shop-lot projects.

"I will push, request, plead and beg the Selangor government to increase their investments in Hulu Selangor and solve these issues,” he said.