Opening up on his “frenetic week” in a blog post, the former minister said he accepts the fact that he will be charged with sedition but will continue to speak or “we will never get to the Promised Land”.
“I believe that a better Malaysia can only come to fruition when leaders are not afraid to face these “black holes”.
“If too many fundamental truths about the country are ignored, left undefended or abandoned for convenience and expediency, we will never get to the Promised Land,” he said, adding that the process of building the right framework for the country will come with its struggles and “discomforts”.
The “frenetic week” Zaid was referring to involved his tweet – “The Selangor sultan should be careful with his words. No one is immune when the country burns.”
Zaid had taken to Twitter in response to Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah reportedly saying that PPBM chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s political agenda was motivated by “deep hatred” and that “his anger will burn the whole country”.
“I was not defending Tun M as many thought I was doing. I was just upholding the simple notion that in our system of government, constitutional monarchs do not decide matters of politics and administration.
‘It’s the people, and no one else, who determine if a particular leader is qualified to be a menteri besar, or who is going to burn this country. Is this sacrosanct? Yes,” Zaid said.
He also admitted that it looked like he didn’t have the backing of his party – Zaid joined DAP earlier this year – nor its political allies and this was used by the pro-Barisan Nasional individuals to attack him.
“Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng was the exception. However, my other colleagues in DAP did not reprimand me or speak unfavourably on the subject of the controversy.
“They must have endured some discomfort because of me, and I understand why some of them want to stay away from trouble,” he said.
He added, however, that he didn’t blame the leaders from Pakatan Harapan for their silence on this matter.
“Still, now I know I have many friends and supporters. I am only lacking in political allies.
“People sent me endless messages expressing their concern for my safety and that of my family,” Zaid said.
Selangor MB a brave man
The lawyer-turned-politician also made special mention of Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali, who had asked for Zaid to explain his two-line tweet to the people.
“I will, but he must come along. He is a brave man, because in doing so he might upset the Ruler.
“He fully understands my tweet and the circumstances and context it was made in, so he can join me on a road show.”
Zaid also took Umno to task for their “opportunistic tactics” just to gain political mileage.
“Umno went to town burning effigies of me and calling me names like ‘bangsat’, ‘biadab’, ‘durhaka’, ‘kurang ajar’ and much more. Umno Malays are fond of calling people such names when they are angry at them.
“Jamal Yunos, the main actor, threatened to smash my head with a big hammer, but fortunately for me the police arrested him,” he said, thanking Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for ensuring his safety was assured.
Jamal was arrested on Saturday evening after the closing of the 2017 Umno general assembly and police have since obtained a two-day remand order on the Sungei Besar Umno division chief.
Zaid wants to meet DPM over his safety and that of his family