Zaid said he is withdrawing from the race as PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim is no longer a potential candidate after the latter's disqualification following his five-year jail sentence for sodomy.
"With Anwar’s conviction last Friday... he no longer qualifies to be a candidate in the by-election.
"Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s position as Selangor menteri besar is therefore secure and the Selangor state government will be stable, at least in the foreseeable future.
"Given these changes, Anwar’s reasons for having the by-election are no longer applicable.
"I therefore feel it is unnecessary to engage myself further on these issues and hereby withdraw my candidacy for the Kajang by-election," he said in a statement today.
Zaid last month announced his candidacy saying he wanted to prevent PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim (left) from replacing Khalid as Selangor MB.
Following prolonged disagreements between PKR and Khalid, the party instructed that the Kajang state seat to be vacated in a manoeuver dubbed the 'Kajang Move' to allow Anwar to contest and possibly take over as MB.
As the sodomy verdict has scuttled the plan, PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today announced she will run for Kajang instead.
She will be facing off with BN's candidate Chew Mei Fun, who is MCA vice president.
'Judgment was right'
Zaid had accused Anwar of wanting to use Selangor's resources for political purposes.
The former de facto law minister also defended the courts which have come under attack for Anwar's conviction on Friday.
"We must not, however, impugn the integrity and credibility of the judges who ruled unanimously to uphold the government’s appeal, or the judiciary as a whole, solely on how the verdict on Anwar’s case was decided.
"It is most unreasonable to accuse the court of bias and of having its own political agenda when the verdict does not suit some people, when Anwar’s earlier acquittal by the same justice system was embraced," he said.
The Court of Appeal on Friday overturned a High Court ruling made in Jan 2012 which acquitted Anwar of sodomising his aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan (left).
Anwar temporarily is a free man as the same court had granted him a stay of execution and bail of RM10,000 pending appeal at the Federal Court.
However, Zaid said he sympathised with Anwar's family as he thought the sentence of five years was too harsh and "unjustified"
"Homosexual activities may be deemed to be criminal under the law, but the judges should have exercised their discretion in light of the changing mores over such sexual activities all over the world.
"An archaic law such as Section 377A of the Penal Code which follows the definition of 'unnatural offences' enacted some 165 years ago in England perhaps needs to be reviewed," he said.
'Rush to sentence'
Zaid said the Court of Appeal did not err in its judgment against Anwar but its rush to mete sentencing did not look good to the public.
"The haste to disqualify Anwar from contesting in Kajang is clear for everyone to see, and this unfortunately blots out the real merit of the case. The substance of the Appeal Court’s decision will now be treated with distrust.
"This is a shame, given the clear evidence against Anwar brought up by the prosecution. The court is no place to decide political contests.
"Anwar should have been given the chance to either stand or fall by the decision of the people at the ballot box, not by the court of law," he said.
Several other individuals including senator S Nallakaruppan and the New Gen Party have expressed interest to contest in the by-election.
Nomination day for the Kajang by-election is fixed on March 11 and polling day on March 23.
Malaysiakini
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