Zaid Ibrahim joins DAP

PETALING JAYA: Former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim (pic) has officially joined the DAP.

Zaid said he chose the opposition party as he believes he will be able to reach out to Malay voters.

The announcement was made at his home in Tropicana Golf Resort on Tuesday.

Also present at the press conference were DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Appointed as a minister in March 2008, Zaid resigned from the Cabinet six months later following his criticism of the then Internal Security Act being used against DAP's Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, journalist Tan Hoon Chen, and blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

He was suspended by Umno later that year and joined PKR in June 2009.

However, Zaid had a fall-out with the PKR leadership and formed Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air in December 2010, where he eventually resigned as president due to internal squabbling.