5 PKR MPs may join Zaid's new party

PETALING JAYA - Speculation is rife that about five MPs are likely to join Zaid Ibrahim’s newly renamed party, Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (Kita). The MPs, mostly from PKR, are expected to join Kita during the launching of the “renewed” party on Jan 19, according to The Star. It is learnt that even a couple of Barisan Nasional MPs had shown interest in Kita, which is poised to change the Malaysian political landscape. Kita, which was formerly known as Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim), is set to follow the British political party model where there is a clear distinction between administrators and those vying for positions as policy-makers. It is learnt that Kita is also poised to establish an alliance with a new party that would be established in Sabah soon. Although Kita president Zaid had announced that the party would not join Pakatan Rakyat, it is said to be open to forming alliance with parties that offered an alternative choice to the public. “We are not spoilers. We will focus on issues and policies. That is why we are following the British model, where lawmakers and party administrators are kept exclusive,” Kita vice-president Muhammad Firdaus Christopher was quoted as saying by The Star. Firdaus also clarified that Zakaria Salleh was the rightful Akim president, and not Hanafi Mamat. Zakaria did not seek re-election during the party AGM on Wednesday, to pave the way for Zaid to take over the post. Hanafi had claimed that he was the rightful president and that the AGM held at the Tropicana Golf Club ballroom was invalid, according to The Star. “We have a letter from the Registrar of Society (ROS) dated Oct 20 stating clearly that last year’s AGM where Zakaria was elected president was valid,” Firdaus said. Zaid quit PKR last month in protest over its failure to address the issue of vote-rigging in the recent party elections. Zaid, who was a contestant for the deputy president post in PKR, submitted his membership application to Akim last month. “We are not competing with the other main political parties but we will support them if they share the same basic principles,” he said. Later, he told reporters that he will announce the new logo and the party’s constitution on Jan 19, 2011.