IS ZAID SANE? Ex-minister says Perkasa sounds nasty but their ‘heart is good’

KUALA LUMPUR - After years of criticising right-wing non-governmental organisation Perkasa, former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim seems to have a change of heart over the group.

Zaid said Perkasa was no Ku Klux Klan and despite having “scary” views, their heart was in the right place.

“It’s a group full of insecurities and their rhetoric is divisive and often downright scary.

“Perkasa may sound nasty with their words but their heart is good, while others are sweet-sounding all the time but siphon our money away when we’re not paying attention,” he said in his blog post today.

Zaid said this when speaking on the possibility of the opposition working together with former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in giving meaning to the idea of a “Malaysian Dream”.

The former Umno and PKR politician said Dr Mahathir was critical of others and may be a patron of Perkasa, but both mean well.

Zaid has always been critical of Perkasa, having called the group a threat to security with their views and that the issues they championed were ridiculous.

Former Umno and PKR politician Datuk Zaid Ibrahim says former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was critical of others and may be a patron of Perkasa, but both mean well

In a blog post last December, Zaid chastised Perkasa for criticising Sisters in Islam (SIS) over a Selangor fatwa, saying Perkasa’s responses were “highly provocative and threatening”.

In an older 2013 post, Zaid said Perkasa’s aggressive negativity would have a lasting effect not just on the Malays but on the delicate balance of inter-communal relations as a whole. - Therakyatpost