Zaid wonders about Ku Li's 'newfound confidence' in Najib
Shocking and disappointing - these were the two words used by former law minister Zaid Ibrahim to describe Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's latest remarks.
He also wondered if the veteran politician, better known as Ku Li, had developed a newfound confidence in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
"If so, what has changed?" he asked in a blog posting.
Zaid zeroed in on Tengku Razaleigh's stand regarding the controversial National Security Council (NSC) Bill, which was passed in the Dewan Negara last week.
He noted that the Gua Musang MP argued the people would accept the bill as long as it is not abused.
"Of course, we wouldn't need the police either if everyone were honest, and we wouldn't need judges if everyone were to follow the law. In fact, we would not need laws at all if every Malaysian behaved and lived peacefully and honourably," stated Zaid.
He said the reason laws as well as a system of checks and balances exist is because experience has taught that power corrupts and leaders can abuse their position.
"That is why we want democratic principles in governance, and checks and balances in the system. That is why we must oppose dictatorship and oppose any law that accentuates power.
"To hear Ku Li make this statement when he has been speaking from the right side of the fence for so many years is frankly shocking and disappointing.
"Is he saying that Najib will not abuse the new law?" he added.
Zaid argued that a prime minister who genuinely wants to do good for the country does not need a new national security law.
Furthermore, he added, this prime minister would not define "national security" so loosely that it includes "everything under the sky".
He pointed out the laws that existed before NSC were sufficient to keep the country safe.
"A prime minister only needs such a law if he is uncertain of where the cabinet's or his party's loyalty lies. He needs the law if he is uncertain if the Malay Rulers will support him.
"He needs the new law if he wants to rule by fiat, and to remain in power regardless of what anyone else says. I would have thought someone like Ku Li could see this," he added.
The NSC bill would empower the prime minister with a quorum of five in the security council to declare a "security area", where security forces can arrest and search, seize and destroy property.
Meanwhile, Zaid also took Tengku Razaleigh to task for stating that barring Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin from speaking at the Umno general assembly is merely a break from tradition, but not undemocratic.
"This is only correct in a limited sense," argued Zaid, a former Umno lawmaker.
"Umno has not been democratic in its ways for a long time now, even when the deputy president was allowed to address the party's wings. So the issue of whether or not the deputy president is able to speak is not indicative of the party’s character.
"But everyone, including Ku Li, knows that this so-called break from tradition is happening because Muhyiddin has been critical of the party president on the 1MDB issue.
"For the president to break from tradition because he does not want his deputy to say anything that might embarrass him is selfish, arrogant and unbecoming - it is also undemocratic," he added.
Zaid said he thought being a senior Umno man who was himself once hard done by former president Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tengku Razaleigh would empathise with Muhyiddin.
"He could at least stand up for Muhyiddin on this issue, not so much to defend the party's democratic ways, but to tell Najib not to try and bully everyone in the party and country.
"But the prince (referring to Tengku Razaleigh's royal lineage) Ku Li sees little need to defend Muhyiddin.
"When you have been in Umno long enough, you forget what pain and humiliation means to others, even if you had once experienced them yourself," he added.
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