For some time now, Zaid Ibrahim has been threatening to spill the beans on some Umno ministers and their dark secrets, following a smear campaign against him in the Hulu Selangor by-election campaign.

He will start his crusade to expose their “hypocrisy” by launching a campaign for the rakyat “to get to know their ministers better”.

“(BN campaigners) called me a kaki botol (alcoholic) and a kaki judi (gambling addict), but (they did) not (attack) the Umno leaders,” he told a press conference today.

“I will expose this hypocrisy. I will tell everyone which casinos they go to and who their mistresses are. I think it is good to launch this campaign to know the leaders, and their wives.”  

But this “campaign” of his appears to be an about-turn when he had said

During campaigning, he has said he would not put the spotlight on his former colleagues in the cabinet.

Although his crusade appeared to be a U-turn, Zaid explained that his intention is merely to “educate” the people on who their leaders are.

“This is not like North Korea, or Zimbabwe, where the citizens don't know anything about their leaders and their wealth that is stashed away,” he said.

Vowing to name the names, shame the shameless, Zaid however said that he is not “stooping to their level”.

“It is OK to know the leaders. But it is not OK for falsehood. I am not stooping if it is the truth,” he said.

BN leaders had distanced themselves from the personal attacks during the by-election, including the posting of a doctored picture in cyberspace.

Asked about former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's denial that he has consumed alcohol, Zaid retorted: “Mahathir is a hypocrite. I am not”.