WHAT ZAID HAS TO SAY ABOUT NAJIB....

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, known for his candid and bold statements, tells The Nut Graph what he thinks about recent political developments and this is what he has to say about Najib... Click further (NutGraph : PART 1)

Well, I do not pretend to know him well. And I don't want to prejudge.

I think he's obviously a clever man. I mean, he's smart. I think he knows what needs to be done. I think he's a decisive sort of person.

But my only concern is whether he will have the support, especially of the old guard; [and] the political will. Because, over the years, he's never taken any controversial positions. He's never really talked about reforms. So based on his track record, he may not be the reformer that we all hope for.

About the economy — this will be a tough test for him, because like law reform, the economy requires structural change as well.

But having said that, I hope that I'm wrong. Because he knows the issues, because he's smart, and if he can summon from somewhere the will to transform and change Umno itself, that would be good. But I doubt it.

Zaid still has regards for others too in UMNO;

Do you think there are any other leaders in Umno who are capable of initiating reforms? Do you like anyone in Umno still?

Well, I have high regard for (Datuk) Shahrir (Samad) and (Tan Sri) Muhyiddin (Yassin). I think they are the kind of leaders in Umno who will be able to do things, undertake reforms and so on.

See Part II tomorrow: Zaid responds to accusations made against him by former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.... NutGraph.com