Outspoken MP hits a nerve in Malaysia

Zaid Ibrahim spreads message of tolerance and more democracy

A new breed of young and ambitious leaders is turning up the heat on the old guard in Umno, the dominant ruling party, in the tussle to fill the power vacuum left behind by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who retired last November after 22 years in power.

One such man eager to make his mark is Zaid Ibrahim, the son of a poor rice farmer who rose to found the biggest and best-connected law firm in the country.

Mr Zaid, 53, a graduate of the University of London, is making waves in parliament, in Umno and in society by saying what was long considered taboo - that judges should be independent and fearless; that government should be transparent and accountable, and the police corruption-free.

'I am only saying what is topmost on the minds of people ... it is my duty as an MP to speak up.' Married with three grown-up children, he rejects criticism that he only found his critical faculty after Dr Mahathir retired.

'I spoke up before but I was not heard because I was a nobody,' he said. 'I am heard now because I am an MP and an Umno leader.'

Mr Zaid was a political unknown until he shot to fame in 2001 for standing up to the Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) over the introduction of Islamic sharia laws in PAS-ruled Kelantan state.