The rise and fall of Zuraida but can she rise again?

SHAH ALAM - Can former Cabinet minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin rise again?

She had stood tall in PKR and later joined Bersatu after the Sheraton Move in 2020 which saw the sudden collapse of elected Pakatan Harapan.

Just before the 15th general elections, she had joined Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM).

Political expert Dr Syaza Shukri of International Islamic University said Zuraida’s downfall began when she started criticising PKR right before the Sheraton Move.

She said Zuraida, the former Ampang MP would have been better off in Bersatu then jumping again to PBM.

“But her mistake was to betray her own party so publicly, she should have stayed with Bersatu and it didn’t make sense for her to join PBM,” she told Sinar Daily.

This comes after Zuraida, the former plantation industries and commodities minister and 10 others were sacked from the party after failing to respond to a show cause letters issued earlier this month.

However, Syaza is of the opinion that the expulsion will not be the end of Zuraida’s political journey as she was a part of Muafakat Nasional.

“Although Muafakat Nasional is a non-profit organisation, we know that it is a political based organisation so if she plays her card right in Muafakat Nasional, she can definitely make a comeback,” Syaza added.

Echoing the same sentiment, political analyst Associate Prof Dr Ummu Atiyah Ahmad Zakuan of Universiti Utara Malaysia also agreed that Zuraida will struggle to restore and regain her political influence.

“If we are looking at the current political landscape right now which is uncertain, and her previous track record, it will be very challenging for Zuraida to rise again,

“I think her downfall began when she left PKR, however her downfall accelerated when she left Bersatu,'' she added.

Meanwhile, political expert Dr Abdul Aziz Azizam of Universiti Teknologi Mara said the action taken by the PBM should be emulated.

“When something happens, the party should act in accordance with the party's constitution and the most important thing is, no one can have a personal interest if priority should be given to the objective party,” he said.

He said that what remains should be the brand of the party for all of the members.