A jump too far?

Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin

On Thursday, Ampang MP Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin trailblazed a new political path when she quit Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) to join Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM).

In 26 months, the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister has been with PKR, Bersatu, and a fledging party, once her application to join it is accepted.

The former PKR vice-president was among 10 party MPs, including deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, who were sacked for supporting the Perikatan Nasional government in February 2020.

The jury is out there on whether she is the type of MP for whom the anti-hopping bill was proposed. Or whether she is the new face of multiracial politics in Malaysia.

According to a source close to Zuraida, the Ampang MP was a square peg (multiracial ideology) in a round hole (Bersatu is a Malay-based party).

“She believes in multiracialism and started her political career in PKR. She now wants to return to her multiracial root as one of PBM’s main pillars is multiracial power,” she said.

“In the early years of PKR when (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) was in prison, Zuraida valiantly went around the country canvassing for support. Her grassroots are multiracial from the nascent stage of her political career. Bersatu has never been a good fit for her. PBM is.”

The Zuraida insider also said the Ampang MP quit Bersatu as the party is patriarchal.

“Bersatu leadership is male-dominated. Bersatu is a mono-ethnic boys’ club that never truly made Zuraida feel at home. Couple this with the fact that the country does not currently have a woman-led political party, and you can see how Zuraida is engineering her political reset in the brand new PBM,” she said.

“She will fill this vacuum and possibly rise as the country’s most important woman leader. There are currently no women leaders who can match her pound for pound. Underestimate her at your peril.” added the source.

The source also said there was a call from Zuraida’s grassroots supporters for her to pave her political path. “Some non-Malay MPs who joined Beratu were only made associate members. Many grassroots leaders and members who left PKR to be with Zuraida were not accepted into Bersatu,” she said.

The insider continued: “People outside of her inner circle do not know that Zuraida’s grassroots have, since last November, raised her onto the venerated position of Ibu Bangsa Malaysia (IBM or mother of Malaysians). IBM has been the moniker they used in secret Whatsapp chats.”

“Despite the ‘Iron Lady’ public image some associate her with, Zuraida, to those in the inner circle, is known as a caring, motherly person. Underneath that tough-talking facade is a very caring, concerned and motherly human being,” she said.

“She is so motherly, she sometimes takes it upon herself to nurse “sick puppies”, accepting or employing some “troubled” people purely out of sympathy. That’s the real Zuraida. Truly our IBM,” revealed the source.

On the talk that Azmin, who was in the same team as Zuraida in PKR, would also be joining PBM, the insider said that the political analysts making such presumptions did not know the inside story.

She said that Team Azmin was not happy that Zuraida was leaving Bersatu as Team Azmin’s MPs in the party were reduced. She noted two independent MPs linked to Azmin – PBM president Larry Sng of Julau and Steven Choong of Tebrau – joined PBM.

She said that more MPs in Bersatu or linked to Bersatu were likely to join PBM, which has three MPs and five assemblymen.

“The Bersatu leadership has questioned Azmin on why MPs linked to him have left the party. He needs as many MPs aligned to him to lay claim to being Bersatu’s pick if the PM decides on a Deputy Prime Minister. The infighting in Bersatu is intense. It is Team Hamzah versus Team Azmin,” she said, referring to Bersatu secretary-general and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.

In her press statement on Thursday, Zuraida said: “God willing, I will meet YAB Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob soonest to discuss my resignation as Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister.”

Her statement started a frenzy - like vultures on a dead body - with Bersatu and Umno leaders demanding her minister portfolio be given to their party.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob put a dampener. In Tokyo, the Prime Minister noted that various people had their views on Zuraida’s exit from Bersatu.

“But the final decision is mine to make. Since it’s still too early to decide, because I have yet to meet her, I won’t comment any further. Wait for me to return (to Malaysia), call her up for a meeting, and discuss the matter with her. Then I will decide,” he said, adding that Zuraida would still attend Cabinet meetings for now.

Did Zuraida make the right move to trailblaze her political career with a five-month-old party?

PBM received a favourable response when it launched in December with its six-core pillars as multiracial engagement, women’s empowerment, youth empowerment, economic development, education, and the advancement of science and technology to make Malaysia a developed country. However, the party rating plunged when it lost – including Tebrau MP Choong - four seats in the Johor polls in March.

Can Zuraida, the Iron Lady with a multiracial agenda, uplift PBM?