Teng: Gerakan's prerogative to stay or leave BN

By Debra Chong

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Gerakan vice-president Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan today told off deputy Penang Umno chief Datuk Rashid Abdullah for meddling in its affairs.

"For Gerakan to stay on in Barisan Nasional or to leave Barisan Nasional is absolutely the decision and prerogative of its members. Nobody should tell us what to do," said Teng in a press statement released today.

Yesterday, the deputy chairman of the Penang Umno liaison committee was reported to have accused Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon of being a BN "party spoiler" for voicing out the desire of a majority of party members for Gerakan to pull out of the coalition.

"As a leader, he must be responsible to the coalition. He needs to set the course for Gerakan and make his position clear. After all, a fish rots from the head down," Rashid had said.

He added that such "factions can leave if they want to".

Teng blasted Rashid for his "totally uncalled for" remarks and reminded him to abstain from making further insinuations as the BN had proper channels for discussing and deliberating component party issues, that is at the BN supreme council and the management committee.

Teng, who is also Gerakan state chairman, said that Rashid was in no position to challenge Gerakan's stand as he is "only the Nibong Tebal Umno division chief and liaison committee deputy chairman".

"I wonder whether he made this comment so as to obtain political mileage in his up and coming division contest," Teng questioned.

He also took umbrage at comments made by another BN ally, MCA state deputy chief Lau Chiek Tuan, who had allegedly said that Koh was "hiding behind party members' opinions".

"During this uncertain political climate in the country where Gerakan is going through its party elections, Umno itself is facing its worst ever political turmoil and MCA is facing a big challenge in its upcoming party elections, I would like to request all BN component party leaders and members to speak with care and sensitivity so as not to further aggravate the present political situation," he concluded.

Gerakan’s Iron Triangle Breaking Up?

Alan Ting, BERNAMA

PENANG, SUN:

For the past 20 years, Gerakan’s top three leaders — acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, vice-president Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan and secretary-general Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye had always formed a formidable team.

So much so they were dubbed as the “Iron Triangle”, reflecting their closeness, with some party members even likened their bonds to the party’s emblem, which is triangular in shape.

The trio also built up their respective political career in the Bukit Bendera constituency.

Dr Koh was previously the state assemblyman for Tanjung Bungah, Dr Teng was the Pulau Tikus state assemblyman — both are in the Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat — while Chia was the MP before his defeat in the March 8 general election.

“Once, they were also called the ’Dream Team’ as they had built up such a formidable political force in Penang and in the party,” a retired senior Gerakan leader told Bernama.
Lately however, some party leaders and insiders said they began to detect signs that the Iron Triangle was breaking up.

Cracks seemed to have appeared after the March 8 general election and some party members even interpreted that the cracks meant that the trio might no longer be on the same ship.

“Their public appearance is very superficial. I think the ’triangle’ had actually started to collapse sometime in February and early March when two of them (Dr Teng and Chia) started to lobby to become the next Penang chief minister,” said a grassroots member from the Bukit Bendera division.

Lending further credence to the perception was the fact that Dr Teng decided to contest against Chia for the Penang state Gerakan chairman’s post — a move, according to some Penang Gerakan members, that had upset Chia.

“There has been an arrangement earlier that when Dr Koh steps down as the Penang Gerakan chairman, Chia would be given a chance to take over. However, at the last minute, Dr Teng came in and challenged him,” a Gerakan divisional leader said.

Differences between Chia and Dr Teng began to surface when Chia, just a day before the Penang Gerakan state elections, suggested that the party break away from Barisan Nasional.

“This was a calculated move by Chia to win the delegates’ support after some personal attacks were hurled at him,” one of Chia’s supporters said, claiming that the “pull out from BN” statement had prompted Dr Koh to hold an unscheduled closed-door briefing just before the start of the party’s state elections last Sunday.

During the briefing, Dr Koh had said that there was no doubt that some would want to see Gerakan leave the BN but at the same time, they did not indicate whether they would continue to support the party after the pullout.

This seemed to have jolted the delegates to their senses and forced them to ponder about the fate of the party if it were to be out of BN and with support eroding.

And because of this, the Chia supporter claimed, some delegates threw their support to Dr Teng, who won by a mere 10-vote majority.

Dr Teng secured 166 votes, Chia obtained 156 while another candidate, Bukit Gelugor division chairman Cheang Chee Gooi, only managed to secure 21 votes.

But for former Penang state executive councillor and Gerakan Youth chief Teng Chang Yeow, the rift had not reached a level of breaking, only at the point of “loosening up”.

“After a while, corrosion will set in. So you need to put some oil. Whether this would smoothen the whole thing again, it remains to be seen,” he said.

But this latest development has given some veteran leaders in the party some concern.

For instance, one of them, Tan Sri Dr Chin Fook Weng, said, “Whatever happens, the Iron Triangle cannot break as it holds a very significant power play and balancing act in the party.

“If the triangle breaks, the consequences are that any one of them may break away from the party, bringing with them substantial numbers of supporters.” Results in the recent Penang Gerakan election showed that both Dr Teng and Chia still wield considerable support.

“Some members have said that it was a proxy fight but as a keen watcher, I would rather say that each one of them has a different personality, with their own ways and ideas,” Chin said.

“It is how we get these people to come and work together. Chia coordinates well, that is why he is always regarded as a good coordinator. You get maximum result,” he said.

Dr Teng, on the other hand, is a person who has a good appearance and good public relations skills, including having an advantage to speak various languages, including Tamil, said Dr Chin.

“Each of them has strengths and weaknesses and they need each other’s strengths to cover their respective weaknesses,” he said.

Now it would be interesting to see whether Dr Teng would bring Chia to sit on the Penang State Liaison Committee (SLC) after becoming the state chairman.

“Chia has lost. He is also not a division chairman as the Bukit Bendera chairman is Dr Teng. How to have him at the SLC when he is not even one of the six delegates voted in? “He is not in the list, but that can be done by bringing Chia to SLC through Central Working Committee (CWC), which has a provision to appoint a central liaison officer (CLO) to sit in the SLC,” said Dr Chin.

Dr Chin explained that the CWC can appoint anybody and the state chairman has to consult the CLO whenever important decisions were to be made.

“We also can also appoint three persons as central appointees in the SLC.

This was used to stabilise the party in the past,” he said.

For Bayan Baru division chairman Wong Mun Hoe, the trio is not breaking up as Chia is known to be a team player and party leaders normally closed ranks after the party election is over.

“The Iron Triangle is not easy to break. The triangle members understand the Gerakan way of doing things. Gerakan does not usually practise the winner takes all and loser loses all concept.

“Once the election is over, the rivals will close ranks and those who have been elected will usually bring in those who did not make it,” he said.

Wong said it would be something unexpected if Chia decided to break away from the triangle such as suggested by some.

There is a talk that Dr Teng and Chia will fight it out again for the Gerakan’s deputy president post in the party election scheduled on Oct 11.

Some even predicted that Chia might go for broke by contesting against Dr Koh for the party’s presidency.

Gerakan mulls quitting Barisan, may join Pakatan

By LISA GOH

For Video News, click here

KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan is considering the option of leaving Barisan Nasional and joining the Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance.

Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said this was among three options for the party - the other two being to either stay with the ruling coalition, or leave and become independent.

“We are not ruling out any possibility at this moment. We have to assess the situation, but we are not closing any doors.

“Neither are we saying we will definitely leave. It’s something we need to assess but we cannot do it based on sentiments alone,” he told reporters after launching the KL-Federal Territory (FT) state delegates conference here on Sunday.

Dr Koh said the party was examining how the political scenario in the country would continue to change, and had been getting feedback from the grassroots.

“If you go on sentiments alone, I would say more than 60% (want us to leave), but we are taking a lot of factors into consideration, and a decision cannot be based just on sentiments.

“It’s a very trying time, and there is need for a lot of rational, objective analysis. It cannot be a straightforward simplistic decision,” he said.

In his opening speech, Dr Koh also announced that he would be contesting for the president’s post in the October party elections.

“I am offering myself for the post, but I also set a timeframe for myself, and it is unlikely that I will go beyond two terms. I would like to have younger and newer leaders to continue the process of political commitment,” he said.

Asked if he would name his deputy, he replied: “We will let the delegates decide.”

He was also asked to comment on some 20 FT Gerakan members who had defected to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), including former FT Gerakan information bureau chief Gan Kok Keng and former Setiawangsa Gerakan chief Li Tiam Chai.

“I feel surprised because it was only last week when Li Tiam Chai was with me in a meeting and there were no signs that he was not happy.

“We were talking about how to strengthen the party. So I am surprised but I will continue with the veterans, and new members are committed,” he said.

Dr Koh also commented on the Umno leadership transition, which he hoped would be “smooth and peaceful.”

“Even though the change in Umno leadership is an internal party matter, but we are also concerned because the Umno leader also becomes the leader of Barisan and the Federal Government,” he said.

Earlier this month, Gerakan became embroiled in the controversy over former Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail’s alleged racist remarks in which he purportedly described Malaysian Chinese as “squatters.”

Gerakan leaders had demanded an apology and for action to be taken against the Umno man, who in turn blamed Gerakan for Barisan’s poor showing in the March 8 general election, which saw the state of Penang fall to to the opposition.

The war of words even saw Ahmad’s supporters tearing down a picture of Dr Koh after a press conference.

The Umno Supreme Council subsequently suspended Ahmad from his party posts for three years, although he remains a member. No further action was taken against him.

20 quit Gerakan to join PKR

Charles Ramendran

PETALING JAYA (Sept 28, 2008): Saying they have no more faith in their party and Barisan Nasional, about 20 Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Gerakan leaders and members joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) today.

The group was led by former Gerakan FT information bureau head K.K. Gan and Setiawangsa branch chairman Li Tiam Chai and also consisted of former members of the Bukit Bintang, Kepong and Wangsa Maju branches.

They announced their decision to join PKR in the presence of PKR vice president R. Sivarasa, information chief and Batu MP Tian Chua, and Ampang MP and PKR wanita head Zuraida Kamaruddin at the PKR headquarters at Merchant Square in Damansara.

Gan, a Gerakan member for 24 years, said there was no future for a multi-racial party like Gerakan in BN.

"Former Gerakan president Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik had said soon after the general election in March that Gerakan is like a beggar and if it stayed on in BN, it will be finished," he said.

"Current (acting) president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon says we must stay on in BN to change Umno, but will Umno really change?"

He claimed that 80% of the Gerakan grassroots wantd change in the party and at least 300 more members were expected to join PKR soon.

Tian Chua, who welcomed the former Gerakan members, said their membership would help strengthen PKR.

Sivarasa said it was not an easy decision for the Gerakan members to cross over to PKR after serving the party for decades but they chose to do so in the best interest of the country.

"We had not offered them money or posts but they joined us as they see there is no area for change in Umno or BN," he said.

Former Gerakan FT chief and Segambut MP Dr Tan Kee Kwong, who joined PKR about a month ago, was present .

Tham denies having joined Gerakan

GEORGE TOWN (Sept 28. 2008) : Former Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) member Datuk Tham Nyip Shen, who resigned from the party after it left the Barisan Nasional (BN) recently, has denied that he is ready to join Gerakan.

Tham, who is a former deputy chief minister of Sabah and a SAPP founder member, said he was more keen on pursuing his business than getting back into politics for the time being.

"I am very close to Gerakan," he admitted.

"I pulled out of SAPP because it left the BN… But now, I don’t know if Gerakan will also leave the BN."

Tham said this at a Teh Tarek forum on Sabah politics organised by Gerakan National Political Training Bureau and the Satu Academy at the Gerakan state headquarters here.

He also denied that he would cross over to join another opposition party of the Pakatan Rakyat.

"I will probably stay out of politics," he said. "It is very difficult to divide my time between politics and business."

He said he resigned as SAPP member as he had in the last general elections helped the party by asking voters to support the BN.

"I have worked with the BN government for so long. If I were to suddenly work with the opposition, it would make no sense," he said, adding that BN had done a "fair bit" for Sabah.

Gerakan- Lim Si Pin announces contest for Gerakan youth chief's post

maria

Gerakan Deputy Youth Chief and the son of former Gerakan president Lim Si Pin announced his intention to contest for the party's youth head's post.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Federal Territory Wanita and Youth delegates conference, Lim said that this decision was made after consulting and gathering the opinions of members in the various states.

He said Negeri Sembilan Gerakan youth chairman Paul Yong will be his running mate for the deputy's position.

"Today we are announcing our offer to run as a team for the coming party polls and will announce our manifesto at a later date," he said.

The age limit for Gerakan youth is 45 and below.

Koh: 60% want Gerakan to leave BN

BUT WE HAVE TO GO BEYOND SENTIMENTS, PARTY TOLD
by Maria J. Dass

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 28, 2008): Although the sentiment among the grassroots for Gerakan to leave Barisan Nasional (BN) is prevalent because of incidents that took place over the last two months, the party is adopting a cautious stand as it needs to examine and ponder over its survival post-BN.

"At least 60% say 'let us be relieved of this burden', which is considered an emotional burden, but we have to go beyond that, we have to go beyond sentiments," the party's acting president, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, said today.

"Now, after the initial feelings and sentiments because of things that have happened, especially in the last one to two months, have subsided, they are becoming much more calm, collected and mature in their approach and are able to think over the things that have been discussed," he said at the opening of the Federal Territory (FT) Gerakan Wanita and Youth delegates conference.

Gerakan had been embroiled in a controversy over the remarks made by former Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail in a speech during the run-up to the Permatang Pauh parliamentary by-election.

"Going by the sentiments gathered from views at the grassroots level, at least 60% say it is very difficult to stay in the coalition (BN) because they are being criticised outside," Koh said.

"But we have to go through a more objective and rational analysis of this and we are going thorough that process.

"Of course, the sentiment gathered from people outside is why should you stay in Barisan?, You should come out.

"But they very seldom ask the third question. The first question is always 'Will you support Barisan?', the second is 'Would you want Gerakan to remain in Barisan? and the third is 'When we come out, will you support us versus DAP or versus PKR?. That question is seldom being asked until lately.

"We are now getting answers, which are very realistic answers. We need to take a lot of factors into consideration and not just based on sentiments."

Koh said that while sentiments are important and have to be taken into consideration for the future of the political role of Gerakan in the political arena, "it has to be a combination of the heart and the mind".

"We have to combine sentiment with rational analysis and we have adjusted our thinking after much pondering," he said.

"It is a very trying and challenging time. It is time for a lot of soul-searching and rational objective and analysis, combined with a lot of sentiments, and thus, it cannot be a straightforward simplistic, simple decision.

"We are not ruling out any possibilities and are constantly getting feedback and analysis in addition to monitoring the changes in the country’s political landscape."

Koh said no deadline has been set as the party does not want to be rigid in view of the constant changes happening around it.

He said there are three options for the party, which are to stay in BN, leave BN and join Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), or leave the BN and be independent.

>> On whether he will contest for the presidency in October , Koh announced he would be but it clear he would not remain in office for more than two terms as he wants to elevate young leaders to engineer change and revive the party.

>> On his choice for deputy, he said: "We will eventually let the delegates decide."

>> On Gerakan Federal Territory members hopping over the PKR (see accompanying story), Koh said: "I was just informed of this although I had heard the rumours two days ago that some of our leaders are in talks with them."

He said he was shocked because two weeks ago, some of those who defected had sat in a meeting with him and never indicated any dissatisfaction.

"This episode also shows that PKR seeks publicity and confrontation, and puts up political dramas, as they just had to welcome these members on the same day that the Gerakan FT is holding its delegates conference," Koh said.

>> On the power transition plan in Umno, Koh said Gerakan hopes it will be carried out in a smooth and peaceful manner so as not to upset the social and economic order.

He said by tradition, the change in party leadership in a BN component party is an internal matter, However, he hopes that the BN supreme council will brief the other component parties on what the Umno supreme council has decided so that the transition plan can be understood by other component parties.

He said BN is in dire need of a revamp and re-branding to remain relevant.

"What is important at the end of the day is that this transition benefits the BN and, most of all, the country," he said.

SDC - Goodhope Hotel, 14 Sept 2008

2008 State Delegates' Conference at Goodhope Hotel.

Over 400 delegates attended and returned Dato' Teo Kok Chee as the state chairman for the 4th time.