Some Gerakan delegates urge party to quit BN

In the wake of a disastrous showing at the 13th general election, several delegates at the Gerakan national delegates conference (NDC) today questioned the party’s ties with coalition partner Umno and some even urged the party to quit BN.

One of them, Johor delegate Tan Lai Soon (right), felt Gerakan did not get the respect it deserved as a partner in BN.

“We can no longer give excuses - that if we are given a (government) position, then Umno is treating us well. This cannot be accepted.

“Are Gerakan resolutions being studied and taken into consideration by the Umno-led government to be implemented as national policy? I think no.

“So what is the point that every year at annual general meetings, good and reasonable resolutions after resolutions are suggested and passed, and yet ignored by the government?” he lamented during the debates at the NDC.

In addition, he said when MCA decided it would not take any government post despite Johor Menteri Besar Khaled Nordin having reserved two positions for MCA, it was thought that one of them would go to Gerakan.

However, that did not materialise and instead MCA’s Pulai Sebatang assemblyperson Tee Siew Kiong was appointed to the post, while Gerakan’s sole assemblyperson in the state, Lau Chin Hoon, did not get any position.

“The Johor menteri besar said no to Gerakan. Umno never works hand-in-hand with Gerakan, so when they say no, why must we sit back and support them blindly?” he decried.

Tan added that when Gerakan joined the Alliance to form BN in 1974, the party helped give the ruling coalition a firm grip on power, but this is now forgotten.

When met after his speech, he argued there was no reason for Gerakan to stay in BN if it is not seen as an equal partner. According to Tan, many grassroots leaders share his views.

‘We will no longer be Umno’s lapdog’

Later, Selangor delegate Lee Hui Seng urged party leaders to consider leaving BN to be a political “third force” so that it will no longer have to submit to Umno’s whims and fancies.

“We have our (Menara PGRM) twin towers. We can sustain elections on our own if we have funds from there and there.

“Unlike now, we got almost nothing from the 13th general election except Simpang Renggam (parliamentary seat). And we don’t need to beg Umno,” he said.

He said if Gerakan can win several key seats in the upcoming general election and in event of a hung parliament, both BN and Pakatan Rakyat would be forced to deal with Gerakan.

“We will no longer be Umno’s lapdog, as they called us, and we can stay away from that so-called ‘MCA porn star’,” he said, in an apparent jibe at MCA president Chua Soi Lek.

Other delegates thought that Gerakan has lost its former glory and urged incoming party leaders to restore it.

Negri Sembilan delegate E Swee Yong said Gerakan used to be like a tiger, but after years of ‘captivity’, it has now become a tiger cub.

As a result, he said the party has lost its supporters and, worst still, its bargaining power with Umno.

“When we go to the negotiating table with Umno, they would ask if we have supporters… Today we need new leaders to bring back the party’s dignity befitting a tiger,” he said.

Be mindful of Gerakan’s image

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur delegate Allan Tang Luan Kang told incoming party leaders to be mindful of their personal image, because this would also affect the party image.

“The party has come to this (woeful) stage mainly because of our leadership, especially the leader. Don’t forget that once you become the president, your image becomes our image.

“Comrades, let me remind you that as the Perak delegate mentioned earlier, others are saying that we have ‘no balls’,” he said perhaps in reference to the derogatory label given to former party president Koh Tsu Koon (right). 

“But I want to remind you all that in actuality, everyone here, including myself, have ‘no balls’ because that is how outsiders see us.”

When asked about the calls to leave BN, newly-elected party president Mah Siew Keong said he had yet to hear really serious calls for it but will continue to get feedback on the matter.

“I think we still have a role to play in BN. We still have confidence in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to lead the country so we shall play that role,” he added.