Zuraida forced to pay RM10 million may end her political career and bankrupt - experts

SHAH ALAM - Former PKR vice-president Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin's political career will seemingly come to an end, apart from going bankrupt, if she pays up RM10 million to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) for breaching the bond binding her to the party, experts say.

Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow political analyst Dr Azmi Hassan said Zuraida would have no choice but to appeal because RM10 million is a huge amount that she would have trouble paying.

"If she still pays, she is going to be bankrupt. This would also be the end of her political career.

"I guess the next step is to appeal.

"She can choose whatever party she wants to choose too, as everyone has a right to choose whatever party and whatever institution or organisation because this is allowed under the constitution; however, with the Anti-Hopping Law, it is different.

"I guess a private bond could still be challenged in court via appeal," he said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Pacific Research Centre of Malaysia principal adviser Dr Oh Ei Sun said the amount to be paid is huge and Zuraida is likely to exhaust all avenues of appeal, at best to reverse the ruling and at worst to reduce the amount.

"Many of her voters likely did not like what she did; this is evident when she didn't win in the 15th General Election (GE15)," he said.

Meanwhile, Univeirsti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Faculty of Media and Communication Studies senior lecturer and political expert Dr A Aziz Azizam said this is an example of a practise that supports the principle that no one is above the law.

"Zuraida can refer to the next legal process, which is to make an appeal, and this is an opportunity for her to prove that her claim of RM10 million is not proportional to the justification given.

"The moral conclusion is that this should be seen in a broader context.

"An agreement should be upheld whether it is written or not, especially when the promise involves the trust of the people, and leaders should be accountable," he expressed.

Yesterday, Zuraida was ordered by the High Court to pay RM10 million to PKR for breaching the bond binding her to the party.

PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail filed the suit on Sept 28, 2020, to claim RM10 million from Zuraida for allegedly breaching the bond binding her to the party.

PKR’s statement of claim said that Zuraida had signed the bond of RM10 million based on the terms and conditions set.