The former law minister said menteris besar and assemblymen were elected to decide on public policies, but appeared to fear religious authorities and constitutional monarchs.
“Perhaps the answer lies in the fear that their career may not go far,” he said in a blog posting.
His comments are believed to be aimed at the Selangor state government’s silence over a fatwa issued by the state religious authorities declaring Sisters in Islam as “deviant”.
“They (state leaders) didn’t see the need to impress upon the sultan that the fatwa was bad both in law and by the standards of enlightened Islamic principles.”
Zaid, who joined DAP last month, said while Malaysia’s official religion is Islam, public policies still fall under elected representatives and not religious leaders.
“If public policy is to be determined by a group of unelected officials, by way of fatwa, why do we need elected representatives at all? Just ask these self-appointed ‘guardians of Islam’ to issue fatwas on any matter they deem fit,” he said.
“Even the ruler, who is head of Islam in his state, has to act in accordance with the advice of the menteri besar.”
He said it was weak political leadership that allowed the palace more say in matters of governance.
“These wakil rakyat are supposed to do what’s best for the rakyat, but it’s not just the wakil rakyat who makes those decisions,” he said.