Zaid must explain presence at PKR meet

Former law minister and Umno member Zaid Ibrahim is expected to be asked to explain the reasons behind his present at the PKR congress in Shah Alam yesterday.

According to the Star , Umno vice-president Muhyiddin Yassin said it did not make sense for Zaid to attend an opposition gathering.

"It appears he is lending his moral support to them. To me, this is showing his disloyalty to Umno. This is unforgivable," said Muhyiddin after a dialogue with members of the Sabah media today.

Muhyiddin added that it was not the first time Zaid was perceived as acting against Umno, citing the show cause letter issued to the former minister last month for his open letter and meeting with MPs on repealing the Internal Security Act (ISA).

Asked if Zaid's latest move could be perceived as trying to provoke Umno, Muhyiddin said: “We will not be provoked.

"He's a small guy...he is just wasting our time," Muhyiddin added.

Zaid, the former Kota Baru Umno chief, was quoted after the PKR congress as saying that he was still an Umno member but was keeping his options open.

Anwar's credibility questioned

In another development, Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud today questioned the credibility of PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, who aims to unseat the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next state elections due in 2011.

Hitting out at the Sept 16 deadline, Taib said even Anwar’s attempt to concentrate on wresting power in the peninsula had yet to produce results.

"I don't want to comment on people like that. Well, his (Anwar's) credibility is not that high when he said Sept 16 is his target date which he promised to be the date to form a new government," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

"Are you going to put that in printing or you don't want to put it in printing. Isn't it true?," he said when asked to comment on Anwar's statement in his keynote address at the PKR congress held in Shah Alam yesterday that his next takeover target was Sarawak.