Hard to be 'third force', Gerakan joins PN to realise 'return to Parliament' aim

 

Realising that it is difficult to make an impact as a third political force, Gerakan decided to join the Perikatan Nasional alliance, said its president Dominic Lau.

This was painfully evident in the Tanjung Piai by-election in November 2019 when the party's candidate lost her deposit. According to Lau (above), this was the catalyst behind the decision to work with PN.

Despite once criticising the PN government as ‘backdoor’ administration, Gerakan announced its support to the PN government in May 2020 and applied to join the coalition three months later.

Its membership application was approved last month.

In a joint interview with the Chinese media ahead of tomorrow's annual general meeting, he said Gerakan, which witnessed a sharp reversal of its political fortunes since the 2008 general election, aims to return to parliament and state assemblies in the next national polls.

Gerakan was at its peak during 2003 and 2008 when they controlled 10 parliamentary seats and 30 state seats, as well as Penang state government.

They did not win any seat in the 2018 general election.

“From 2018 to 2019, when we quit BN, we promoted our party as an alternative for the people.

“But in the Tanjung Piai polls, we realised that the people are not ready to accept a third force.

“Obviously, if Gerakan continues to fight with two political coalitions, which were Pakatan Harapan and BN at the time, we would not be able to win,” he added.

On the same note, Lau conceded that the decision to join PN caused concern among some leaders and grassroots, who were worried that it would not go down well with supporters.

However, he said this has been resolved.

“We actively explained (the decision) to our members via video conferences. Our members could also see the results of our attempt to rebrand ourselves as a third force.

“Almost all of them now understand why we need to join a coalition which is in line with our core values to face the coming general election,” he added.

'PM is man of action, not words'

Lau reiterated that Gerakan supported the PN government because Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin placed the interests of the people and businesses above politics amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

"He did more than he talked. He did not talk much about politics. We can see his efforts to deal with the pandemic and their outcome,” he added.

Lau also believed that Gerakan's multiracial composition is the main reason for PN, which is a Malay-Muslim majority alliance, to approve its membership application.

“During our discussion, I told the prime minister that our main value would be to diversify PN, turning it into a multiracial, multi-religious and multicultural coalition,” he added.

Lau said other PN parties and leaders, including Azmin Ali, had also welcomed Gerakan's inclusion. - Mkini