PKR supreme council member Zaid Ibrahim has urged the authorities to investigate the claims that one of Anwar Ibrahim's former aide was coerced into signing two false statutory declarations.

"It may be true, it may be false," said Zaid, during a press conference at his home in Petaling Jaya, in reference to the press conference by Rahimi Osman yesterday.

Unlike many top PKR leaders, Zaid has chosen not to dispute Rahimi's allegations that he was forced to sign documents implicating Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.

NONE Comparing Rahimi's to private investigator P Balasubramaniam ( right ), who flip-flopped on a his statutory declarations in 2008 before fleeing the country, Zaid said both cases had similarities.

"His case is exactly like PI Bala's. If you want to investigate Bala's claims, you have to investigate Rahimi also... You cannot have double standards for Bala and Rahimi.

"If you say that Rahimi cannot be believed, with that same logic, Bala also cannot be believed," said Zaid who is a lawyer by training.

In a strange twist against his own party members, he was also sympathetic towards Rahimi who have been pelted with claims that he was "bought off".

"We must have proof when we say something. We cannot simply accuse someone one something if we don't have evidence to support our claims. It is not right if it turns out that he really isn't paid.

"If we want to fight BN, we have to fight on moral grounds, which means standing on what is right," said that former de facto law minister who resigned in protest over the ISA arrests of three people in 2008.

‘Boycotting Utusan not a good policy'

selambau pkr pc 040409 saifuddin nasution The maverick politician is also bound to be caught in crosshairs with party elders when he announced that he will continue engaging with "banned" newspapers despite yesterday's directive from the party secretary-general.

"This whole boycotting media business, it's not a good policy. If it's not a good policy, we don't follow lah . If not how do I reach out to the public to say that the party is the hope for the future.

"I'll follow what's right," said Zaid in reference to sec-gen Saifuddin Nasution's ( left ) reminder yesterday gagging members from speaking to the Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia .

NONE Zaid had recently given an exclusive interview to the daily, raising the ire of many party elders who had previously banned the newspaper from covering PKR functions over claims of bias.

"When I informed the party leadership over my decision to contest as deputy presidency, I didn't know that all this issue of loyalty and betrayal would arise.

"I also have my own pride and dignity. If someone is out to destroy, I'm not just going to be sad and mope. Of course I will fight back, and don't tell me I can only use selective media," he said.

‘PKR elections should have minimum standards'

molly cheah 190505 mctc Zaid also revealed that he had recently written to PKR elections committee chief Molly Cheah ( left ) over implementing ‘minimum standards' for the party polls.

He said that the candidates standing for elections should be able to appoint their counting officers, and that the ballot papers should have serial numbers.

At the moment, the elections committee members and counting officers are appointed by the headquarters.

But of recent times, there have been allegations of discrepancies and elections mismanagement when the elections committee were overwhelmed by warring factions in the divisional elections.

"If we cannot even conduct our own elections properly, how can we criticise the Elections Commission?" he queried.

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