Tsu Koon: We'll to go head to head with Umno on Penang seats

Tsu Koon - brave stand!

KUALA LUMPUR — Senator Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon declared today that Gerakan will contest in Penang state seats that it lost during 2008 general election despite Umno leaders calling for re-distribution of the seats.

During the 12th general election, Gerakan was wiped out from Penang which it has led since 1969. The party lost all 12 seats that it had contested in the state.

The poor performance by Gerakan has led to Penang Umno Chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s calls for his party to field more candidates in Penang for the next general election.

Koh gave a stern warning to Zahid that the seats belongs to Gerakan.

“The comments only reflect his own personal opinion and have not been discussed in Barisan Nasional’s supreme council. Therefore our areas still remain as our areas and we are in the process of preparing for the coming general election,” he said during a press conference at the party’s AGM.

Zahid again reasserted his position for Barisan Nasional (BN) to review its electoral seat allocation arrangement during his party’s recent general assembly.

Umno, the largest BN component party, is now represented by 78 members in the 222-member Dewan Rakyat, while MCA has 15, MIC four and Gerakan two.

The three non-Malay parties lost heavily in urban areas in Election 2008 while Gerakan lost the state of Penang and was almost wiped out. - Malaysian Insider