Until last week, former law minister Zaid Ibrahim had believed that former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad could do no wrong.

But now, he too, like Mahathir’s staunchest critics, appears to be wondering if the nonagenarian has lost his marbles.

This is after Mahathir called for BN to be defeated in the upcoming by-elections in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar which in other words could mean PAS winning the seats.

Describing Mahathir as an ‘opposition leader’, Zaid was also baffled that other “opposition leaders” such as Ambiga Sreenevasan and Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali echoed the same tune.

"PAS is a party that only wants Muslims as leaders, supports child marriages and believes that a woman’s place is at home. It’s also a party that wants - above all else - hudud law to be implemented in the country.

"You want PAS instead of BN? You must be out of your mind," he wrote in his blog.

He lamented that some opposition leaders seem to have lost their bearings and no longer fight for the causes of the people, but are instead consumed by hatred for BN, the prime minister, and the desire to win at all costs.

This has clouded their judgement, he said.

Straight fight

Zaid was responding to speeches made by Mahathir, Ambiga, and Azmin during Save Malaysia gathering in Shah Alam last Saturday.

The former premier urged for a straight fight to defeat BN in the upcoming by-elections, after multi-corner fights contributed to opposition parties’ poor showing at the Sarawak state election on May 7.

This is even if it means supporting PAS, although the party is not a member for the Pakatan Harapan opposition coalition.

“We don’t care who the candidate is, even if it’s from PAS and PAS is not with us, the prime objective however is to defeat BN to show Najib the rakyat no longer supports him.

“This is why we have to work hard to defeat BN in these by-elections,” Mahathir said.

PAS is the only opposition party that has committed to contest in the two seats, where it has traditionally fielded candidates in previous elections.

As for Pakatan Harapan - which is comprised of DAP, PKR, and the PAS splinter party Amanah - Azmin had told the audience at the gathering that the coalition has yet to decide on which party should contest in the two seats.

The Election Commission has set June 18 as the polling day for the two by-elections, while nomination day falls on June 5.

The two seats became vacant after its incumbent MPs Noriah Kasnon and Wan Muhammad Khairil Anuar Wan Ahmad were killed together with several others in a helicopter crash on May 5 in Sarawak, while they were campaigning for the state election.

However, Zaid opined that it would be foolish to support PAS just to see BN defeated and the prime minister humiliated.

In event of a straight fight between BN and PAS, he said BN would surely win a bigger majority than it did before.

“In a straight fight with PAS the BN will win because these parties are now on friendly terms, and (PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang) will not embarrass the Supreme Leader.

“The BN will come out smiling. It is, after all, a by-election and the BN will mobilise all of its considerable resources and will surely win with a bigger majority than the last election,” he said.