Zaid: DAP a Chinese party

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who looks set to miss out on general election action after being passed over as a candidate, has labelled DAP a “Chinese party”.

The former law minister said Malay components of Pakatan Harapan were silent ahead of DAP possibly announcing more ministerial candidates.

Zaid tweeted: “A Chinese party in PH have announced they already have two Ministers in waiting. Maybe more coming. Malay parties are silent on the subject. Thats how Malays behave generally, shy and reticent to make their views known. Nothing has changed.”

When Zaid joined DAP in February last year, he said he chose it to bring the party’s message of equality and justice to Malays who, he claimed, were hoodwinked into believing that it was a chauvinistic party.

He made the “Chinese party” statement on Twitter after DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said Teluk Intan candidate Nga Kor Ming will be appointed a federal minister if Pakatan wins the general election.

Lim also promised Ayer Hitam candidate Liew Chin Tong a ministerial post when his candidacy was announced last month.

This is not the first time Zaid has taken a swipe at his own party, having taken to voicing out his thoughts on Twitter to remain visible during the election period.

Last Thursday, he claimed to have turned down an offer by Kelantan Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia to contest a “glamorous rural seat”.

Last Tuesday, he tweeted that he sympathised with DAP veteran Dr Tan Seng Giaw, who was dropped from the election line-up and will not be defending the Kepong seat, where he is an eight-term MP.

“He was dumped after 30 years, I was done by just after 12 months. It must have hurt him a lot more,” Zaid wrote.

In January, he also took to Twitter to say that he was left out of the Pakatan convention.

Appointed as law minister in March 2008, Zaid resigned from the Cabinet six months later following his criticism of the then Internal Security Act.

He was later suspended by Umno and joined PKR in June 2009.

Zaid had a falling-out with the PKR leadership and formed Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air in December 2010.

He eventually resigned as its president after internal squabbles.