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Gerakan's acting president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon faces a rocky road leading up to the party's October summit. ZUBAIDAH ABU BAKAR, NEW STRAITS TIMES
GERAKAN is at a crossroads.
Ashamed and angered by the party's disastrous loss in the March 8 general election, which left it with just two parliamentary and four state seats, members are calling for reforms - up to and including leadership change.
Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon, described within and outside the party as weak, indecisive and colourless, is feeling the heat. At post-polls party meetings and post-mortems, he has heard too many blame him for the party's worst-ever performance in Penang - where he was chief minister for 18 years.
With party elections just months away, the ground forces are said to be ready to shift up a gear in the campaign against their general. That campaign has been indeed under way, but had not been pushed hard because the party elections were only due next year. In the run-up to the general election, Koh caused unease among members over his handling of election issues raised by the opposition as well as members of Barisan Nasional component parties.
Insiders say there are rumblings on the choice of candidates. Members were upset, for instance, at the fielding of a rejected candidate for the party's traditional parliamentary seat of Segambut, last held by FT chief Datuk Dr Tan Kwee Kwong.
Ma Woei Chye, twice defeated by DAP's Tang Seng Giaw in 1999 and 2004 in Kepong, was picked in favour of Dr Tan. His subsequent trouncing by the DAP's relatively unknown Lim Lip Eng was a double slap in the face for Gerakan.
Penang Gerakan leaders say it had been safe to assume that Koh would be endorsed as the fourth Gerakan president when he took over as acting president after Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik stepped down after his 26 years at the helm. Lim is now Gerakan adviser.
Now the situation is much less certain. Gerakan suddenly finds itself less relevant to people, especially in Penang.
"They just could not swallow the fact that Penang had to be surrendered to the DAP after being ruled by Gerakan since 1969," says a Penang Gerakan leader.
Names like secretary-general Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye, national youth chief Datuk Mah Siew Keong and Dr Tan have been mentioned as possible candidates for party president. More names are also expected to be put forth for consideration. Tan, for one, has acknowledged that members had urged him to go for broke and contest the presidency, but was quick to point that he had not made any decision yet as the national delegates' meeting "is still far ahead".
Party vice-president Datuk Chan Ko Youn says he does not know of any contest for the presidency, "but Gerakan is liberal and very grassroots-based," and he is not ruling out the possibility.
Some party leaders agree that there is a perception among members that the party, being a junior member of BN, had allowed itself to be "bullied" by Umno. That is said to be one reason why the grassroots pushed for the party elections to be held this year.
The elections scheduled for this year were postponed to next year to allow the party to concentrate on the general election.
The grassroots want the party to immediately rejuvenate and address issues such as the roles played by its national leaders in contributing to the losses - and the only way would be for leaders to get a fresh mandate from the members. They say there is no point having one brainstorming session after another without a proper direction towards regaining lost support.
They got their wish when the party decided to hold elections this year. Koh confirmed that the decision was "due to the wishes of the grassroots".
Chia, in announcing the new dates for the party elections last Tuesday, said: "This time, we also hope there will be a change in 30 per cent of leaders at branch level to encourage rejuvenation."
The party's top posts will be contested at Gerakan's biennial national delegates conference (NDC) from Oct 11-12, while the Wanita and Youth elections will be held on Oct 10.
Candidates contesting for the posts of president, deputy president, three vice-presidents and 18 committee members only need two nominations each - a proposer and seconder - from among NDC delegates for eligibility.
Chan says those eligible to contest have ample time to campaign during the week-long period allowed for it.
Gerakan has a no-fuss rule when it comes to party elections. The party's constitution states that the candidates or their agents shall not act or speak in a manner prejudicial to the interest of the party and shall not offer any inducement in order to win votes.
The networking teams are said to be concentrating on the 80 branch leaders who decide on the 2,000-odd delegates for the October NDC. They are influential because they enjoy automatic status as delegates at division, state and NDC levels.
As most of the delegates will come from Johor and parliamentary opposition-led states Perak, Kedah and Selangor, insiders say this group is also the focus of those agitating against the present leadership.
There are, however, those in the party who are concerned over the sudden increase in membership and the creation of 100 new branches nationwide. There are intimations that these new members could have been planted to ensure leadership change.
"It's difficult to explain why people are interested in Gerakan's struggle when all its candidates did not make it in Penang," says one divisional leader. "Something is not right here."
But many say it is unfair to compare Koh to his predecessor. A divisional leader says that when it comes to giving direction to the party, Lim is in "division one" while Koh is in "division four".
Certainly, no party leader comes close to matching Lim's flair for witty one-liners and bawdy jokes.
Koh beat back his critics in an interview with this newspaper last year, when he said: "I am gentle and gentlemanly. People who have worked and dealt with me would know that I am actually very firm on principles. And I am also pragmatic."
But politics, as they say, is all about perception.
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