Zuraida tak berhasrat kembali ke PKR, mahu fokus agenda Melayu

Former deputy president of the People's Justice Party (PKR), Zuraida Kamaruddin, has no desire to return to the party, instead seeking to focus on the Malaysian Malaya Journey (Jelajah Payung Besar). The 11 former PKR MPs who left the party in February 2020 to join Bersatu, Zuraida now wishes to champion the cause of ensuring Malay participation in the 16th General Election, she told FMT.

As the chairwoman of Munashah Nasional (MN), Zuraida believes the campaign is vital to address issues related to Article 153 of the Constitution. She claims that the current political landscape has become increasingly difficult to navigate, particularly in light of accusations that she has been meddling in the affairs of non-Malay leaders during the present administration.

Prior to the establishment of Payung Besar, Zuraida, Kamaruddin and Mansor were following the footsteps of former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's agenda, which aimed at uniting Malays across political parties. Former MP Tun Razak Kamarudin Jaffar and Mansor Othman are also reportedly considering joining PKR again. Zuraida, Kamarudin and Mansor are among the 11 former PKR MPs who joined Bersatu in February 2020, following the Sheraton Steps, a series of events that led to the downfall of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.

PKR subsequently sued Zuraida in 2020 for breach of a contractual agreement, stating that she would have to pay RM10 million within seven days if she resigned from the party to join another political party or become a Free Independent Member of Parliament (FIM). The High Court of Kuala Lumpur upheld the suit on June 23, 2023, and the Court of Appeal confirmed the decision on November 11, 2024, but reduced the payment to RM100,000, stating that the RM10 million amount was unreasonable.