An old friend of mine, a former journalist, posted this on Facebook recently: “Are politically correct principles adequate to take Zaid Ibrahim to the next level of his political career?”

Knowing him, I think he was referring to Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s role in urging the Abdullah Badawi administration in 2008 to apologise to former chief justice Tun Salleh Abas and the five judges sacked during the 1988 judicial crisis. Apologise the government of the day did and compensation was paid to all six. Zaid was then the law minister.

And obviously, the ex-journo friend of mine was also referring to Zaid’s resignation from Abdullah’s cabinet, also in 2008, in protest over a spate of arrests under the Internal Security Act.

So, will all that take Zaid “to the next level of his political career”? As we know, he has now joined the DAP.

Well, to me, it should. By doing what he did, Zaid has earned “an image of integrity that could be used to cement existing support for the opposition”, in the words of Ooi Kee Beng, deputy director of Singapore ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, as reported by Malay Mail Online.

And a former member of a think tank linked to the Prime Minister’s Office during the 2013 general election told me that Zaid “is an asset to the opposition in parliament as he is very articulate”.

Thus, he went on to say, “DAP should give Zaid good seats — one parliamentary seat in Kuala Lumpur or Selangor, and perhaps one in a state assembly. That would be strategic”.

If that happens, it would put Zaid at the next level of his political career. Wouldn’t you agree?

But it is not about Zaid per se. What would the DAP get by having him as its member?

Most political pundits and commentators agree that Zaid in DAP will not likely help the party tap the rural Malay electorate.

He is too “liberal” for their liking. His views on hudud are well known and Zaid has spoken out against PAS’ plan to enhance the shariah courts. In fact, he has often likened PAS to the Taliban.

Such a stand would allay the “concerns” of some of DAP’s hardcore supporters that the party has been “handicapped” in fighting PAS and Umno’s “Islamisation” plans for “fear” it will be accused of being “anti-Islam” and become a burden to its Malay Muslim allies in the opposition pact.

So, I feel it is not about Zaid trying to garner Malay support for the DAP but rather to consolidate the DAP support base or perhaps bring back “worried” supporters to the fold.

The supporters I am talking about, including those at grassroots level, would be at ease to see a big-name Malay Muslim leader in the DAP taking a tough stand against “Talibanisation”.

Still, Zaid has a history of party-hopping — from Umno to PKR to Kita. You know the story. So, some analysts “expect” him to do the same with the DAP.

Tun Mahathir Mohamad, speaking at the ceremony to announce Zaid’s foray into the DAP, said he hoped that the former law minister “will stay a little longer in the DAP”. He was joking, of course .

To his detractors, Zaid has always wanted to do things his way and had an “ego” problem.

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, speaking at same event as Mahathir, described Zaid as a believer in truthful and honest politics but “if he had a defect, it is that he needs to be a team player and not a prima donna”. Like Mahathir, Lim  was joking.

That said, ISEAS’ Ooi, as quoted by Malay Mail Online, believes that “Zaid’s history of leaving parties and positions for moral reasons provides him with a reputation of being straightforward and honest”.

Many analysts feel Zaid will appeal to the younger generation who see him as a “moderating influence”. The director of the Centre for Policy Initiatives, Lim Teck Ghee, is one of them.

He told the news portal that he sees Zaid’s political impact as potentially significant, assuming he stays the course and works with the party’s different interest groups.

I agree, and if I may add, Zaid ought to heed the advice of Mahathir and Lim, though it might have been uttered in jest, seriously.

Mohsin Abdullah, now a freelance writer, is a a veteran journalist. He was formerly executive producer at The Edge TV.

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