Gerakan’s tough choices

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 — Ironically, it is only now when its political influence has been decimated that Gerakan has found itself in the spotlight.

It probably receives more media coverage now than when it actually governed Penang.

The reason is simple: its members want to leave the Barisan Nasional.

As the first component party to have its elections since March 8, it is in a position to set the tone.

President Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon is known to be the staunchest advocate of staying in the coalition but even he had to admit that 60 per cent of the grassroots want to leave.

And that’s a conservative figure as other sources quote 80 per cent as a likelier figure. While delegates to the national delegates conference are expected to make this issue of staying or leaving a priority, don’t expect any big news or surprises.

Koh has moved to delay the issue to a future emergency general meeting, insisting that the NDC should focus on internal party matters including what most agree to be make-or-break elections.

But even the elections are unlikely to throw up anything stunning as the only important contest is for deputy president.

It does not seem likely that delegates will back the former KL FT Youth chief Ma Woei Chyi, and will stick to the experienced vice-president Datuk Chang Ko Youn.

After all, it would be consistent with the traditional Penang-Perak formula to pick the Perak chairman.

With Koh returned unopposed, he is now in firm control of the party. Cheras division chief Dr Hsu Dar Ren, who will be running for a place in the central working committee, told The Malaysian Insider that in a debate with Koh, the party chief had said that BN must be given a timeframe to reform.

But the concern is “what exactly is the timeframe?” Every month that passes is one month less for Gerakan to start on its own reforms.

According to political analyst and Gerakan expert Khoo Kay Peng, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s announcement that he will be stepping down is the perfect tonic for Koh to keep Gerakan in BN.

“He cannot suppress the delegates from discussing the issue of leaving BN but the promise of an EGM means there is no need for a referendum on the matter at the NDC.

“Now he doesn’t have to call the EGM as he can ask to give Datuk Seri Najib Razak a chance as prime minister and it buys him a year or two.”

However, this only passes the buck back to Umno. If the party is of the opinion that Gerakan’s reliance on Umno’s hegemony was the reason for its downfall in the first place, then perhaps it can actually effect the changes demanded by the grassroots.

Some grassroots leaders have been theorising about a hypothetical and highly unlikely parallel with Umno. It involves Koh agreeing to a “transition plan” by a dissenting central working committee in the same way Umno’s supreme council ousted Abdullah earlier than he had planned.

-TMI