Zaid Ibrahim for Kota Bharu- Killing with a Borrowed Knife.

One interesting piece of news I read was the declaration by the president of Parti KITA, Zaid Ibrahim. He says he wants to contest in Kota Bharu.  Zaid is a native of KB and in fact served as its MP from 2004-2008.  He has a foundation there, committed to welfare work and of helping people.

Why can’t Zaid be considered as candidate material?  PAS needs a face to represent its inclusiveness. Zaid is eminently qualified to play that role. It’s not like having Zaid contest on PAS ticket will lead to the destruction of the jealously guarded founding and operating principles of PAS. PAS can in fact employ Zaid to destroy UMNO. It’s called killing off you enemy with a borrowed knife. Zaid isn’t of the same quality as Ibrahim Ali for example.

Zaid can win in KB if PAS supports him. It’s more important to defeat the UMNO candidate, Fatmi Salleh. Kelantanese should not even surrender an inch to UMNO and BN in the next elections. Mustapha Mohamad is only building castles in the air when he declared that UMNO can retake 28 state seats in Kelantan.

I implore the Kelantanese people, take the RM 500 BR1M- but never forget that it’s UMNO which has victimized and denied Kelantan from getting oil royalty. Translate this stand in the next elections by kicking out all the UMNO candidates including Mustapha Mohamad. Tok Pa isn’t the only person in Malaysia who can work hard. Mustapha Mohamad has been giving money to Kelantanese voters for years on end. That’s daylight bribing. If Mustapha is so pristine, why pay voters?

Back to Zaid Ibrahim. His declared intention has been met with some opposition. The current MP is from PAS and the incumbent says he is not worried about it. The more virulent opposition came from the self-declared KITA president- one Zamil Ibrahim. His outbursts however can be dismissed as one who has some personal issues with Zaid Ibrahim.

Let’s say something about KITA. What surprises most observers is the interest that UMNO shows in KITA. The MSM, TV and other media instruments were quick to expand and gloss over the internal troubles of KITA. Why was UMNO so perturbed and so interested in KITA?

At a recent meeting of the KITA office bearers, the majority of them are behind Zaid Ibrahim. So as far as the party constitution says, Zaid Ibrahim is still the president of KITA. Zamil Ibrahim and his supporters have used the ROS to advance their cause. But I think the ROS’s functions are to ensure all the technicalities concerning the administration of an organization which are under the purview of ROS are followed. It doesn’t include actually running a political party. The party has its constitution. The constitution spells our clearly, how one becomes its party president. It’s not the business of the ROS to impose its choice as to who becomes the KITA president. Zaid’s position has party constitutional legitimacy while Zamil’s is purely self-appointed. Zamil is what Murugiah is to PPP once until he elected to join the MIC and fades into oblivion.

When things started to go awry in KITA a few months back, the people most upset were from UMNO. How is this possible since KITA is of no interest to UMNO?  UMNO regards it as an nonstarter and does not threaten UMNO in the least. If so, why was UMNO so upset leading even the DPM to decry the intention of Zaid to stand down KITA? 

UMNO’s interest in KITA can only suggest one thing. That, it has bought over some KITA members and was planning to use them to stand as UMNO sponsored candidates in the next election. UMNO plans to use KITA members whom they have bought over in 3 cornered fights using its usual divide and conquer stratagem.

Talking about stratagems, we now come to Zaid’s declaration to contest in Kota Bharu.  We noticed that none of the PAS big guns- Nik Aziz, Haji Hadi, Mat Sabu have come out to reject Zaid’s offer to stand in KB.

I think their stand is wise. The possibility of having Zaid to contest in KB is therefore not discounted absolutely. There are strategic advantages in considering having Zaid contest in KB actually. What Zaid says about neither PAS nor UMNO carrying out substantive work in KB may be true.

I think PAS top leadership should consider Strategy number 3 in the 36 stratagems of the Art of War. 

Strategy 3 states that - Borrow one's hand to kill. (Kill with a borrowed knife.). it means, victory can be obtained by attacking  using the strength of another (because of lack of strength or do not want to use own strength).

The overriding objective of PAS and of PR is to overthrow the sons of bitches who are ruining the country at the moment. UMNO plans to put up Fatmi Salleh, the PM’s political secretary as the UMNO candidate in KB. Fatmi’s posters with the PM are all over KB with the headlines- Tolong Kami Untuk Menolong Anda or something to that effect, in KB schools and places of public viewing.

The advantage of using Zaid to contest in KB lies chiefly in the fact that Zaid knows how UMNO operates. He can detect their deception and expose them. Why not use a borrowed knife to kill off UMNO?