Most Gerakan members would agree that Koh Tsu Koon is not speaking up enough. Those who know Koh are not surprised. As a leader and a person, Koh is very conscious of his own image and perception. He wants to be on the good book of everyone; political comrades, friends, allies and even foes.
Between standing up for something righteous and being perceived as a someone agreeable, Koh would have chosen the latter without a second thought. In short, Koh would have been a good PR man. He was used as a PR man for Gerakan in Penang and often praised sky high by ex-president Dr Lim Keng Yaik as a clean, smart and impeccable leader.
No match for Guan Eng
Why is Koh now being blamed for almost everything in the party? Party members and leaders should know that it is not Koh's DNA to fight back like a hungry leopard. He is simply no match for Dap supremo Lim Guan Eng in this department. Koh is a good asset when everything is well and rosy. His personality and education background would glow in such a situation.
But Koh is not an antidote to the party's current political woes. They need to get the right leader to lead them at the right time. Some observers had put it aptly, Gerakan cannot expect their fate to change in a blink by just replacing their "mild, meek and weak" leader.
Koh is just buying time by announcing that he is prepared to sacrifice himself for the party. Koh is not someone who dream big and act crazy. Koh's overly risk averse leadership is suitable for a bureaucrat but not an opposition leader.
To become an effective one and give Lim Guan Eng a run for his money, Koh would have to obtain the right mindset by immersing himself into the role of an opposition leader in Penang. But he is too comfortable in Putrajaya, enjoying the perks and limelight as a minister in the Prime Minister's department. How can the party expect Koh to speak the lingo of an opposition if he is still a minister. Koh's good fortune is Gerakan's misery because the party is clueless once there is no direction from a strong and authoritative leadership.
Stop the slide with the truth and sincerity
The party might have missed the old Lim's crude joke, authoritative or parochial leadership and his stern demeanor but there is nothing they can do to bring back the same era. The era of personality politics is over. The party cannot depend on just a leader to bring them political glory.
They can only stop the slide by being truthful and sincere with their political struggle. They should start by answering a very simple question; what do they do hope to achieve in politics? Since 2008, what has the party done to stay relevant and connected with the new political paradigm?
Hence, do not expect Koh to speak out and cry his lung out to save the party. I believe Koh would want to do so after the last annual conference but making noise or slamming Umno alone will not help the party redeem it's lost support. It is outdated and outmoded. They should have done that pre-2008.
Now, the electorates want solutions and real actions. No more rhetoric and cheap political stunts. What can Gerakan do to tame the religious and racial extremism in the current political climate? What can the party do to address Malaysia's socio-economic woes? What can the party contribute to policy making?
It is best for Gerakan to realize that a gungho and outspoken Koh is not the right way forward. The right way forward is for the party to show more backbone in a host of issues and policies. Let's start with the continuation of racial policy in whatever guises and stemming corruption.
Why pick a bone with Koh Tsu Koon? He is neither a black sheep nor a superhero for the party. He is just a politician who is way past his prime time. Can Gerakan attract young, smart and visionary leaders like it used to?
- Straight Talk
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