As the media reported that Zaid Ibrahim has now joined PKR, I have been in a buoyant mood not from the PKR or Pakatan Rakyat perspective but Malaysia as a whole. Action speaks louder than words.

For the past one year, there are two bumiputera leaders worthy of their places in the heart of Malaysian people. This is especially true as the ordeals they are both enduring are full of twists and turns in the highest measure of the country’s political panorama.

Both Zaid Ibrahim and Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin conspicuously stand out for their continuous tussles with the authoritative government, monarchy as well as pro-government individuals.

For ordinary laymen, Zaid and Nizar cut across the race and religion boundaries and I believe they are loved by many Malaysians on the street. We are very fortunate that politicians of such genuine character and truthful conscience still come through the pipeline and give us a glimpse of hope.

Hope that is threatening to vanish into the darkness which is going to loom upon us until the dawn of next general election.

Truthfully, the country’s constitution and social contract previously agreed upon means that only a bumiputera can sit at the helm and be accepted by all Malaysians. To this, many Malaysians do not have any qualms provided it is fairly and properly implemented.

We have seen many bumiputera leaders emerging over the years but none were really endowed with the magnetism as illustrated by these two men in the short period they have surfaced. There is also no lack of bumiputera public figures combing the political scene.

There are those from the rich and famous political dynasties as well as educated scholars whose social prominence have escalated after becoming famous as a ‘in-law’. Last but not least, the hardcore and power-crazy fanatics who have disregarded and defied moral values to reach the pinnacle.

It is indeed heartwarming to see Zaid crossing the line. Very few individuals can do what he has done which is mainly due to a personal commitment and agenda.

It takes an extraordinarily altruistic mindset to relinquish all that fame and impending wealth he could enjoy and instead take the long and winding journey that could prove to be frantic.

His unreciprocated giving to the Malaysian cause is a great contrast to those who achieved their wealth through unscrupulous means like the prominent bumiputera who was once implicated in a murder trial and who recently obtained a doctorate degree.

Zaid sacrifices are worth many times any academic achievement, the latter which is worth nothing if an individual’s personality is profoundly tarnished. Instead of wallowing with those in power, Zaid has chosen to be with the people and holding on to his impartial standpoint on issues such as the judiciary, the ISA, the Perak debacle and other pertinent contemporary issues.

This is indeed a revitalising feeling for the ordinary folk who want so much for their voices to be heard.

Enough of praises bestowed upon this new Malaysians icons. On the other hand, I strongly believe that this move to join PKR is in anticipation of the forthcoming sodomy trial that Anwar Ibrahim is about to embark upon.

If Anwar is submerged in the scuffle with the attorney-general and the police, it is essential for PKR or Pakatan Rakyat followers to have another influential individual in the same mould of Anwar in their hearts.

This is a perfect strategy because no one comes close to having the articulation and tenacity of Anwar especially after the traumas he has gone through after being disposed off as the second most powerful person in the country.

It is with hope that Zaid’s move would stir up an honest and healthy political playing field in the country which Malaysians are dying to see. It would take unusual flair and attitude to thaw down the obdurate system that is entrenched in its present position for slightly over half a century.

The central government has far too many parasites that it is a matter of time before the main body crumples to its own infliction. The fact that Pakatan Rakyat has been picking up by-elections victories with so much ease further illustrates that recovery and change are beyond the central government and that it is doomed.

The present central administration is going to regret that it did not take Zaid’s advice but instead kept its habitual values that are detrimental and invalid in the present climate. It is irony that that the same advice would still be coming from the same man but this time on the opposite side of the fence.

With anticipation, I would also like to see that the coming forward of Zaid would put those brainless and bad-mannered ministers - like the de facto law minister - in their own places which could, to some extent, eradicate the occasional, infuriating howling these people indulge in.

After all, we are talking about a different class of people. Once again a shooting star has risen from nowhere. I hope that Malaysians regardless of race, religion or region would rise to the occasion to welcome Zaid.

Ttogether with Nizar, they are no ordinary bumiputera as they are the leaders truly worshiped by Malaysians from different diverse backgrounds. They symbolise a better tomorrow for Malaysia.