No third force, only wrong or right side, Zaid says of new PAS-Ikatan pact

PETALING JAYA, March 17 — Former Umno minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim today dismissed the reference to the PAS-Ikatan alliance as a third force in local politics, saying the battle for Malaysia was only divided into two factions — right or wrong.

Zaid made the assertion at a press conference at his house here when asked if the Save Malaysia movement he helped organise would become the fourth political bloc after the PAS- Ikatan pact.

The politician declared that the battle line has been clearly defined as those who support Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his government, and those who oppose the administration, which he described as rotten and corrupt.

"In Malaysia there is no third force. There is only the right force and the wrong force. The people who are on our side who want truth to prevail, who wants change, they are on our side?" Zaid said.

"Those who are directly or indirectly supporting Barisan Nasional (BN) are the ones on the wrong side. So there are no third or fourth force, there is only the right force.

"And we are the right force," the former law minister added.

Yesterday PAS and Ikatan announced a formal alliance and said they would act more as a pressure group that would engage the government to resolve problems confronting the country.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said the alliance was willing to cooperate with any party, but rejected the idea of ousting Najib through means other than elections, implying it did not support the Save Malaysia movement.

Zaid alleged today that most of the PAS national leadership either support or are friendly with Najib bar a few such as information chief and Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar who was present at the press conference.

"We know that PAS mostly supports Najib. Only a few don't," he said.

Save Malaysia is a movement comprising current and former Umno leaders, Pakatan Harapan and civil rights groups. It was set up by Zaid to demand the prime minister’s resignation.

At the forefront of the movement is former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has openly accused Najib of abuse and corruption and has been campaigning for his ouster since 2013.

The group launched a signature drive this month in Johor, Kedah, Sabah and Terengganu, with campaign in other states to follow suit, Zaid said today.

The group will also hold a closed-door rally on March 27 in Shah Alam where Dr Mahathir is scheduled to speak.

Zaid also pleaded for support for its donation campaign. He said the RM10 donation was a "symbolic" drive that, if successful, would help show the level of support the movement has and how unpopular the Najib government is.

Details for the donation can be found on Zaid's blog or Facebook account.