Zaid not joining any political party (updated)

By SA'ODAH ELIAS

PETALING JAYA: Former de facto Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim will not be joining any opposition party in the near future although he does not rule out doing so later.

Zaid who was sacked by Umno two days ago said for the time being he would concentrate on his non-governmental work through his recently set up .myFuture Foundation.

Asked if he would consider rejoining Umno should there be a change of heart among the party’s leadership, his reply was a terse no.

He also said that he would not appeal or go to court to be heard as that would be a hollow victory for him.

“It’s obvious that I was sacked not simply because I had attended functions organised by the opposition parties, but more because many leaders in Umno are not comfortable with my views and stand on many issues.

“To me, the opposition leaders are not my enemies. They are just people with different ideologies and stand, but for some Umno leaders like (Information Chief) Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib and (vice-president) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, this is unforgivable,” he told a press conference here on Thursday.

Zaid said he had expected to be disciplined by the party following harsh statements about him by several Umno leaders but he was surprised when he was sacked instead.

“I am a victim of double standards in Umno. I have not been given the opportunity to be heard and neither am I aware of any specific violation that I had committed.

“I did not attend the DAP dinner nor PKR’s congress to provoke anyone. I was there only to listen on the invitation of friends. There were others who had ridiculed the party president (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) and had made fun of the party and even advised the public to vote for the opposition.

“They had even uttered seditious or racist remarks yet no action was taken against them. Perhaps there are double standards in Umno after all,” he said.

Abdullah when announcing Zaid’s sacking on Tuesday had stated that drastic action against him had to be taken because his trangression was too serious and that the party must not be seen as practising double standards.