FORMER de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has found himself trolled by Madani government backers that he is unwanted by UMNO after he ‘proudly’ admitted having attended Saturday’s (July 26) Turun Anwar rally.
This came about after UMNO president Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated the likelihood of an internal probe on party members who attended the PAS-inspired event at Dataran Merdeka.
According to Zahid who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, UMNO as a component of the unity alliance firmly adheres to the principle of supporting and strengthening the Madani government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“I want to see first who is present. My team and I will ask why they are present. We want to know the reason for their presence there,” he had told a media conference after officiating the Raub Division UMNO representative meeting in Raub, Pahang yesterday (July 27).
This statement promoted the opposition-slant Zaid who became an UMNO member ‘by default’ while he served as the defence attorney momentarily for incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak to owe up without any second thought.
“Well, let me make it easy for them: I was there. Not only that; I gave speeches too,” he penned on X.
Heard that Umno is now checking on members who took part in the 26 July Rally.
Well, let me make it easy for them: I was there. Not only that; I gave speeches too.
But I didn’t say anything I haven’t already written and spoken about for months; about the unbearable cost of…
— Zaid Ibrahim (@zaidibrahim) July 27, 2025
“But I didn’t say anything I haven’t already written and spoken about for months; about the unbearable cost of living, the burdensome taxes and how the Madani government has failed the rakyat.”
In his self-defence, Zaid further stressed that he did not lie nor “betray anyone” by virtue of joining the rally.
“I didn’t promise not to work with DAP or Anwar, only to turn around and do the opposite,” he cynically justified.
“I didn’t participate in the charade about the hidden addendum. If speaking the truth is now a punishable offence in UMNO, then perhaps they should look at themselves in the mirror before judging others.”
This is when brickbats were hurled at Zaid for assuming that he is an asset in UMNO when the actual fact is that “you’re irrelevant”.
“Do you seriously think UMNO need you?” wondered one commenter. “I wanted to tell you to grow up but can you? You’re like an ‘old turkey’ with tough meat that can’t be softened even if boiled with papaya roots. LOL.”
Others chided him by criticising him for his frog-like nature of “leaping from one party to another” while “playing all sides”. As such, his presence or absence from UMNO is immaterial if his heart lies in the struggle of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
The bottom line, as some commenters aptly put it, is for Zaid who had also been previously associated with DAP, KITA (Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air) and PKR to have the decency to just quit UMNO if he feels that he cannot longer toe the party’s line. – July 28, 2025
Main image credit: Wan Ahmad Fayhsal/Facebook
