Once in the same corner but now on opposite sides of the ring, Zaid Ibrahim is itching for a straight fight with Anwar Ibrahim for the Kajang title.

The former de facto law minister is hoping that MCA will not join the by-election bout slated for March 23.

"I hope MCA will not contest. My friend Liow Tiong Lai, the new president of MCA, will have many other opportunities to show his mettle and prove that his party is a credible voice of the Chinese.

"Let Kajang be between me and Anwar. It would make things difficult for me because it would be easier for Anwar – assisted by his mentor (DAP heavyweight) Lim Kit Siang – to come after me. But I am prepared," he said in his blog.

If BN does not contest in this by-election, Zaid said the campaign could take on a different trajectory.

"There would be no distractions about the high cost of food stuff, BN's failures or Najib's leadership. I would be in a better position to explain to Chinese voters in Kajang the clear choice they have to make.

"If they want this brand of hate politics to continue then Anwar and the ultras in DAP would win big, and they would get bolder.

"However, if I can get substantial support then it is clear the hand of friendship is being offered, which I am sure would be reciprocated by the larger Malay community," he added.

Zaid said that he knows of many Chinese who are respectful of Malays and the institutions of the country because they accept and understand the history of Malaysia.

"There are many Malaysians from both races who do not find joy in ridiculing one another and who prefer peaceful coexistence.

"I believe there is still goodwill among the races and that there is still time to bring sanity back to the country. Let Kajang be the barometer of this," he added.

Why the 'rocket launchers'?

In the same post, the former PKR leader also wondered the need to deploy "rocket launchers" against him when he was considered a "non-factor" in the polls.

Referring to the attacks he has come under with regard to the articles and readers comments posted in Malaysiakini and in other portals, the former de facto law minister zeroed in on a piece penned by political commentator Kee Thuan Chye.

"While some leaders seemed gracious and said that anyone is free to contest as this is a democracy, in reality the attacks in Malaysiakini and elsewhere have been organised and orchestrated.

"Kee’s long and scathing character assassination of me in his article 'With a supporter like Zaid, Pakatan needs no enemies' was even posted in Kit Siang's blog and has since gone viral.                

"The purpose was to foster hatred against me and undermine my credibility so Chinese and middle-class Malaysian voters will turn their back on me, thus saving their leader Anwar in Kajang," Zaid wrote.

He also explained the reasons for the different stands he had taken with regard to Khalid Ibrahim being replaced by Anwar as Selangor menteri besar.