Why zaid must be elected as PKR's no 2

There is a general euphoria that the next general election will be a momentous milestone for the opposition Pakatan Rakyat parties. Any one who has his or her pulse on the nation's heartbeat will surely know that Putrajaya is within sight of the opposition's grasp.

Only anything short of a miracle will prevent the opposition from taking power and control of Putrajaya and the inevitable decimation of the once mighty BN machinery. But like the glorious days of Rome before it collapsed under Nero the Mad Emperor, the next General election will witness the demise of the BN coalition.

The ushering in of a new era of governance by a previously untested entity certainly requires a lot of soul-searching. From the way the second sodomy trial of de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has been progressing, it is fait accompli that the government is hell bent on incarcerating the opposition leader before the 13th general election. That, of course, will be a fatal mistake of the BN government.

But taking out Anwar from the equation of being able to lead Pakatan after the capture of Putrajaya simply means some one has to fill the vacuum left by the departure of the de facto leader.

That explains why the person who fills in the position of deputy president of PKR is of vital importance because that person could, in most probability, become the next prime minister of our country.

Zaid has proved his mettle. He relinquished his ministerial post from the government on a matter of principle. His vision and articulations on national issues resonate with people of different race and religion.

On issues of vital importance he was not afraid to be vocal and candid. That is a mark of a great leader To deprive this man of serving this nation is not only a loss to PKR but a catastrophic loss to the nation at a time when our nation is in dire shortage of charismatic leaders.

I do not wish to disparage his opponent's ability to be a deputy president and I do not wish to undermine his ability to lead the nation if there are calls to do so. Azmin Ali's loyalty to Anwar and the party is without question. He is young and has tremendous energy to garner support from the grassroots but when it comes to articulation of national issues I cannot remember a single occasion when he has made a stand.

A leader who lacks the ability to articulate important issues publicly cannot be expected to lead. A person without vision cannot lead a nation because of his impairment to discern the path and route he has to take.

As a concerned citizen of this country, I humbly appeal to those who are empowered to elect the next deputy president of PKR to make your choice wisely because your choice could possibly determine the next elected prime minister of our country.