29 Facts About Zaid Ibrahim

Datuk Mohd Zaid bin Ibrahim is a Malaysian politician, lawyer and former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Legal Affairs and Judicial Reform.

Zaid Ibrahim was previously a Senator in the Dewan Negara, the upper chamber of the Parliament of Malaysia.

Zaid Ibrahim was a member of the United Malays National Organisation, before being suspended on 2 December 2008.

Zaid Ibrahim was the Member of Parliament for Kota Bharu from 2004 to 2008.

Zaid Ibrahim acted as the defense attorney for former prime minister Najib Razak in the RM42 million SRC money laundering case.

Zaid Ibrahim was later suspended but became Kelantan Umno deputy lion chief two years later.

Zaid Ibrahim contested and won the Parliamentary seat of Kota Bharu in the 2004 general election.

Zaid Ibrahim is known for his criticism of the government's handling of legal issues such as the judiciary, human rights and Islamic law.

Zaid Ibrahim supported the establishment of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Video Clip, criticising the government's initial response to the clip.

Zaid Ibrahim was previously dropped from defending his seat as Member of Parliament for Kota Bharu which he won in 2004.

Zaid Ibrahim succeeded Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, who had previously held the portfolio, but as of 2008 continues to be a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department tasked with parliamentary affairs.

Zaid Ibrahim's appointment was greeted by The Economist as the "most promising" in the new Cabinet.

Zaid Ibrahim was replaced as chairman by Nik Norzul Thani, who said the firm was implementing a succession plan they drew up after Zaid's election in 2004.

Zaid Ibrahim urged the Yang di-Pertuan Agong not to appoint Najib Razak as Prime Minister of Malaysia, and instead appoint someone else from UMNO.

Zaid Ibrahim pointed out Najib has been linked on the internet and by political rivals to the brutal murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Zaid Ibrahim cited the RM400 million in commissions reportedly paid by the Defence Ministry while Najib was minister for the procurement of submarines, and pointed out that Abdul Razak Baginda, Najib's friend, was an agent in the deal.

In June 2009 Zaid Ibrahim joined the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

Zaid Ibrahim headed efforts, in his role as Pakatan coordinator and pro-tem committee chairman of Pakatan Rakyat Malaysia, to register Pakatan Rakyat as an official political coalition party with Malaysia's Registrar of Societies on 3 November 2009.

Zaid Ibrahim confirmed his candidacy in a posting on his blog on 16 October 2010.

However, in November 2010, Zaid Ibrahim withdrew his candidacy as a sign of protest against serious allegations of fraud and electoral misconduct perpetrated in the PKR party elections by his opponent, the PKR establishment candidate Azmin Ali.

Zaid Ibrahim subsequently resigned from the party, citing his loss of confidence in the PKR party leadership for their involvement in the electoral fraud of the 2010 party elections.

On 13 December 2010, the Malaysian Human's Justice Front, a tiny Kelantan-based opposition party, announced that Zaid Ibrahim has joined its ranks as a party member, with the view of having Zaid lead and revamp AKIM into a viable political party for the coming 13th Malaysian General Elections.

The party further explained that Zaid Ibrahim had submitted his membership application to join AKIM in Nov 2010 after his former party, PKR, accepted Zaid Ibrahim's resignation.

Zaid Ibrahim announced that KITA would be a multi-racial democratic party open to all races in Malaysia, and despite its current small size, aims to make an impact in the country's political scene by focusing on goals for the long haul.

Zaid Ibrahim unveiled the KITA's official party ideology and principles, including its new constitution, manifesto, and logo, in Kuala Lumpur on 19 January 2011.

In 2017, Zaid Ibrahim had announced in a press conference in his Petaling Jaya home that he has officially joined the Democratic Action Party, reasoning that "he will be able to reach out to Malay voters".

On 20 April 2020, Zaid Ibrahim had announced he was leaving DAP.

On 20 October 2020, Zaid Ibrahim was no longer Kelantan DAP Chairman.

Zaid Ibrahim is married to Datin Suliana Shamsuddin Alias and the couple have three children.