KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Having been uprooted from its power base in Penang in the general election last year, Gerakan gathers for its annual party conference, beginning tomorrow, in a protracted battle to repair its image.
Amid perception that the Barisan Nasional (BN) component party is weak and has done nothing to overhaul itself, Gerakan secretary-general Teng Chang Yeow said the party had been working for the past 18 months for a viable approach to put "our house in a certain degree of cohesiveness".
"We actually know what we want to do and where to go. The only thing is that we did not communicate this openly," he told Bernama.
Teng said the party might have to re-look this "silent approach" and has planned a retreat at the end of November.
"After that, you will see our overhaul plan. We are aware and understand the perception that we have done nothing after the general election last year," he admitted.
Teng said there was a perception that Gerakan was a Chinese-based party that needed to be more vocal to defend issues facing the community.
"In reality, we are a multi-racial party and we look at issues from a Malaysian perspective. When we speak, we cut across race, that's why we are thought of as soft or moderate," he said.
Political showmanship and confrontation, he said, had never been Gerakan's style since its founding days.
"When Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu led the Penang government under the opposition banner in the 1960s, they still worked together with the federal government, in line with their objective for a just, equitable and fair society that we called the Malaysian society," Teng said.
Penang-based political analyst Datuk Cheah See Kian said he had not seen major changes in the party since the last general election despite Gerakan pledging to overhaul the party to win back support.
"Until now, I don't see any overhaul and the only thing we hear is that come this weekend, some minor amendments will be made to the constitution to make it easier for nominations to contest party posts," he said.
He believed the failure for a quick turn-around had caused the party to be rejected by the people, citing the failure of the party to garner non-Malay votes for the BN in several by-elections since.
"The people have not forgotten Gerakan... not that they like Pakatan Rakyat but because they have no choice. After the general election, Gerakan is seen playing only a moderate role.
"Gerakan can actually make a very good impact on the people and community, especially in Penang, but we don't see this happening," added Cheah.
He claimed Gerakan was not focused on Penang, on how to tackle the DAP which had replaced the Gerakan-led state government or how to to regain the hearts of the people in the state.
Gerakan, he said, seemed very much dependent on Umno, the BN's largest component party, to deliver the votes, just as Umno hoped Gerakan could help do the same.
"From the Bagan Pinang by-election, we can see that Umno has taken a new strategy by directly approaching the non-Malay voters, departing from the norm of depending heavily on their component partners," he said, adding that such efforts had proven to be successful in retaining the seat.
Veteran party leader Tan Sri Dr Chin Fook Win rebuffed the notion that Gerakan had been idle.
He said the party tested some approaches to gain back the people's support but it was not successful.
Despite the initial setback, Gerakan is not giving up.
"We may have lost the battle, but we did not lose the war," he noted. — Bernama
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
