By Syed Jaymal Zahiid (Malaysian Insider)
KUALA KUBU BHARU, April 20 — PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, known for his strict interpretation of Islam, is backing PKR Hulu Selangor candidate Datuk Zaid Ibrahim from Umno’s assault on his drinking past.
Hadi, who made a surprise appearance at a ceramah in Ampang Pecah last night, echoed Zaid’s statement that he should be judge on his current ability to deliver as a leader and not his past.
Barisan Nasional (BN) lynchpin Umno have picked on Zaid’s past, calling it “un Islamic” and saying the former law minister should not be voted in because he was a drinker.
“Umno are saying a lot of things about him, they are accusing him of many bad things. But that was when Zaid was in Umno,” said Hadi in a swipe at the Malay party in front of some 150 people who braved the heavy downpour to attend the ceramah.
The former Umno man had recently admitted that he consumed alcohol but said he has since repented.
“He is now with us and therefore he is like us. He has (performed the Haj) at Mecca,” said the PAS president, adding that Zaid’s defection from Umno to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) was testament of his repentance.
Hadi’s statement was a far cry from speculation that PAS was not behind Zaid for the crucial Hulu Selangor vote.
BN was quick to exploit Zaid’s acrimonious relationship with PAS as its campaign fodder, claiming that the scant presence of PAS election machinery was reflective of the party’s dissatisfaction with Zaid’s candidacy.
The former Umno man had tried to sue the Terengganu PAS government when it attempted to implement the Islamic hudud law. Hadi was the Mentri Besar then.
BN was quick to exploit Zaid’s acrimonious relationship with PAS as its campaign fodder, claiming that the scant presence of PAS election machinery was reflective of the party’s dissatisfaction with Zaid’s candidacy.
But all that have been forgotten as Hadi did his best to promote Zaid whom he described as a principled leader.
“We need a parliamentarian who can speak for the people and not just a yes-man like those from BN”.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who spoke earlier, also defended the Kelantan-born leader and blasted Umno’s assault on Zaid as character assassination.
He also said the Malay-based party was being hypocritical about the issue, hinting that Umno leaders are also known to consume alcohol.
“Since when is Umno free of alcohol and gambling?” Anwar asked, drawing laughter from the racially diverse crowd.
He then said the “son of an Umno man” was the owner of San Miguel Beer, in an apparent swipe at his arch-rival, then premier and Umno president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad whose son, Mirzan, has a stake in the Philippine-based beer company.
“You go and Google it, I am not lying, you will find who owns San Miguel,” blasted Anwar.
He, however, did not mention Mirzan’s name in a bid to back his earlier emphasis on a clean and ethical campaign.
“I don’t want to mention names,” he said. “We must practice ethical campaigning, I don’t want to point fingers like them,” added Anwar.
Umno’s Hulu Selangor campaign has been dominated by attempts to smear Zaid’s credentials in a bid to sway the constituency’s predominantly Malay voters against him.
This was admitted by Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin who openly criticised the tactic as unethical. Other Umno leaders, however, have denied using such tactic while some like former Selangor MB, Datuk Seri Mohd Khir Toyo had praised the strategy.