Last rites begin for Gerakan

Last rites begin for Gerakan

Thomas Lee Seng Hock

The last rites for Gerakan have started to be performed by no lesser person than its former president Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik, who has announced that he is quitting as the party advisor due to the lack of confidence in current party chief Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.

The outspoken maverick Keng Yaik said today that he would be resigning as the party advisor because of disappointment over the politically infirm Tsu Koon’s tendency to “bury his head in the sand.”

Formed on March 24, 1968, the party descended to its worst electoral performance during the March 2008 general election, losing control of the Penang state government which it held for nearly 40 years, and winning only two parliamentary seats compared to 10 previously. Tsu Koon was among those kicked out by the Penangites.

The party was founded in 1968 by internationally renowned sociologist Prof Syed Hussein Alatas, Methodist lay leader Tan Sri Dr David Tan Chee Khoon, popular trade unionist V. David, MCA’s second president Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, and many idealistic young academics and professions.

At its formation, Gerakan was a popular opposition party, not affiliated with the federal ruling Alliance coalition, the predecessor of the Barisan Nasional. During the May 10, 1969 general election, Gerakan won most of the seats in the state legislature of Penang, and Chong Eu was installed as the chief minister, and served for a record 21 years, until 1990, when he stepped down in favour of Tsu Koon.

Following the tragic May 13 racial riots soon after the 1969 general election, Gerakan agreed to join an expanded Alliance coalition under a new name Barisan Nasional, created and headed by Tun Abdul Razak in 1973 as a means to reduce politicking and to promote racial harmony and peaceful co-existence among the various races. Gerakan has remained a Barisan Nasional component party until now.

The Gerakan membership, since its founding, comprises about 80 per cent Chinese, 15 per cent Indian, and 5 per cent Malays and other races. Its leadership is predominantly Chinese, although it claims to be a multi-ethnic party.

The party started its decline following the stepping down of Keng Yaik as president on April 8, 2007 to pave the way for Tsu Koon to take over the reins as party chief.

Contrary to the expectations of party members and many outside the party, Tsu Koon proved to be a weak leader, being seen as a mere office-boy of his Umno bosses, even in his role as the chief minister of Penang. The end-result is the almost elimination of Gerakan during the political tsunami of 2008, with the party being wiped out in Penang, with Tsu Koon and the top party leaders among the casualties.

The most shameful event in the party’s history is the dishonourable renegade of the election pledge by Tsu Koon during the campaigning of the 2008 general election that he would not join the Cabinet via the backdoor with a senatorship if he were to lose in the polls. His acceptance of a minister’s post via an appointment as a senator soon after the election caused the loss of respect for him and Gerakan among the people, including party members.

By accepting the minister post via a senatorship, Tsu Koon has discredited himself, and brought shame to his party. At least MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek showed more credibility than the Gerakan president and could walk with their heads high by not grabbing ministerial appointments for themselves via the backdoor.

Being given a ministerial post as a compensation for loss in an election will render one to being tied to political patronage, and becoming politically impotent and at the beck and call of the political patron.

Hence, it is not surprising that a recent Merdeka Center survey shows that only one per cent of Chinese voters have any respect for Tsu Koon, meaning quite obviously that there are Gerakan members among the 99 per cent who do not have confidence in him. Keng Yaik is definitely one of them!

Several weeks ago, Tsu Koon had boasted in Kuala Terengganu that Gerakan still has the support of the people because it has set up 170 new branches nationwide since the March 2008 general election. But he did not mention that Gerakan was almost totally wiped out, particularly in Penang, and he himself was kicked out by the people during the 2008 general election.

The Merdeka Center survey shows that Tsu Koon is deluding himself that he and Gerakan still have the support of the people. With a one per cent support of the community, what relevance do Tsu Koon and Gerakan have?

The people have no confidence in Gerakan and reject the party because its leader is seen as a person with no principle and no integrity.

Take, for example, the 2009 Kampung Buah Pala issue in Penang. Tsu Koon had then attacked the DAP-controlled Penang state government and blamed Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for the problems faced by the residents in the area, whose houses were ordered to be demolished.

The irresponsible comment by Tsu Koon exposes the type of person he is — a coward to the core who does not admit and accept responsibility for his own mistake.

The whole Kampung Buah Pala nonsense was created by his administration, with the scandalous deal negotiated, concluded and sealed by him when he was the chief minister.

About the only thing the Guan Eng administration did was being forced to honour the Tsu Koon scandalous deal by allowing the legitimate payment approved earlier by Tsu Koon when he was the chief minister.

In fact, it was just procedural that the state agency responsible paid out the money as it had been approved by Tsu Koon when he was in power, and I doubt Guan Eng actually knew about the payment until the scandal exploded.

Tsu Koon not only failed to admit that it was him who created the problems, but dumped the whole load of rubbish for Guan Eng to clean up. No person, especially Penangites, worth his or her salt will give Tsu Koon any respect for refusing to admit and accept responsibility for the Kampung Buah Pala fiasco.

Tsu Koon is obviously a liability to the 250,000-strong Gerakan as whatever little respect the people, especially Penangites, have for him has been buried with his unprincipled action over the Kampung Buah Pala fiasco, and his backdoor elevation to the Cabinet.

As a minister, Tsu Koon has not done anything positive, concrete or commendable so far. His handling of the inter-faith panel initiated by the Najib administration, for example, is a big joke, to say the least.

The Cabinet Special Committee to Promote Inter-Religious Harmony and Understanding (SCPIRHU) has remained silent soon after its inaugural meeting on April 6 this the year, after several Muslim groups and muftis baulked at the inclusion of the term “inter-religious” in the name of the panel. The Muslim groups also want Tsu Koon removed as minister-in-charge of the panel, and proposed that he be replaced by Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, the minister in charge of Islamic religious affairs. See how much respect Tsu Koon has among the Barisan Nasional people.

Tsu Koon has not been able to make any headway to get the panel (SCPIRHU), which has since been renamed the Committee to Promote Religious Understanding and Harmony, going even months after its set-up, which shows how effective he is as a minister.

Also, when Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor publicly distanced his party from the Malay rights group Perkasa last month, Tsu Koon was among the first to rush to support him. Yet a week later when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak made a turnaround on the attempt to reject Perkasa and push through his multi-racial 1 Malaysia plan, Tsu Koon did not question Najib or Adnan. Instead he tried to divert the public attention with an assault on the secular DAP and the Islamist PAS. Obviously, he is as flexible as the bamboo tree, bending according to the direction the wind is blowing.

Several former Gerakan leaders have also questioned the relevance of the party.

Its former Nibong Tebal MP Datuk Dominic J. Puthucheary, for example, has been reported as saying that the party has no power and influence at all, and that it is pertinent simply because of its link with the Barisan Nasional.

Former Gerakan Wanita chief Datuk Rhina Bhar, ex-Gerakan Penang state executive councillor Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon, former Gerakan deputy minister Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong, among many others, may not be vocal in complaining against the party they had served for many years, but their unfavourable views on the party leadership is well-known publicly.

The impending demise of Gerakan is certain, and it is time perhaps for those sincere and honest members of the party who have the love and interest of the nation at heart to move out to channel their time, effort and resources to a more useful and beneficial political alternative party to serve the nation.

Edward Gibbon, the author of the definitive History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire has attributed the fall of the Roman Empire to the loss of civic virtue and decline in morality among the Roman citizens. The gradual disintegration of the Roman economy and the barbarian invasions were the final nails in the Empire’s coffin.

The lesson of Rome has been an archetype for every perceived decline and fall of a nation or an organisation, and, hence, should also served as a symbol for our own fears.

The Gerakan members should pay close attention to Gibbon’s contention and conclusion that moral decay was the fundamental reason for the decline and fall of Rome. It started with the moral decay of an emperor with no principle, no integrity, and no shame. Keng Yaik is absolutely right that a leader who doesn’t bother about a very crucial and critical EGM in his own party, but is prepared to go for socialising in another Barisan Nasional component partner’s function is not fit to continue leading the party. “Tsu Koon is someone who hates getting involved in solving conflicts for fear of offending people,” Keng Yaik was quoted as telling reporters at a press conference.

Keng Yaik said Tsu Koon’s attitude of speaking no evil and burying his head in the sand had brought about many problems in the party.

Obviously, the days of Gerakan are number, given the type of leadership it has. Truly, the party has become more and more irrelevant by the day.

The no-confidence vote against Teng Hock Nan during the Penang Gerakan EGM on Sunday should extend to include such a vote on Tsu Koon. — Read more at http://www.mysinchew.com/node/45937?tid=12

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Keng Yaik to quit as Gerakan adviser, disappointed in Tsu Koon

Keng Yaik to quit as Gerakan adviser, disappointed in Tsu Koon

UPDATED KUALA LUMPUR (Star) - Gerakan adviser and former president Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik will write in and resign as the party adviser on Tuesday.

He said he was disappointed with the way president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon handled the conflicts in the party.

"He is someone who hates getting involved in solving conflicts for fear of offending people," he told reporters at a press conference on Wawasan Open University's inaugural convocation here Monday.

Koh - ostrich behavior

He said Dr Koh's attitude of speaking no evil and burying his head in the sand had brought about many problems in the party.

“I’m very sad as the adviser and the former party president for 27 years.

“Maybe my outburst will shake him up but I don’t think so.

“What is the point of becoming the adviser when the president doesn’t listen to you? So I’m going to resign,” he said.

He also lambasted Dr Koh for choosing not to attend the Penang Gerakan extraordinary general meeting on Oct 10 in favour of attending the opening of MCA annual general meeting on the same day.

“How can he not go for the EGM and try to solve the problem? How can he go to MCA? It shows the priority is all wrong.

“In all my years as the party president, I had sent my deputy (president) and secretary-general to represent me at Umno, MCA and MIC assemblies.

“You (Dr Koh) are more needed to solve problems in Gerakan than doing PR practice,” he said.

Dr Koh had said his decision would not cause any impact on the running of the meeting. called to institute a vote of no confidence against state chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan.

The EGM was called following the failure of the party leadership to persuade a group of members to withdraw their request to table a vote of no confidence against Dr Teng.

Dr Teng, 64, is also party vice-president and a former four-term assemblyman. He is a close ally of Dr Koh and one of the three leaders identified as a potential chief minister before the last general election.

Dr Lim said the Penang Gerakan leadership crisis, which “saddened him and made his heart bleed”, was started by a few disgruntled members.

“One or two party leaders in Penang are assessing the situation of the conflict, not knowing whether they will get to be the Penang Gerakan chief but simply trying to test the waters,” he said, adding that Dr Koh must take responsibility for the chaos in the party.

When asked who were the party leaders in Penang he was referring to, Dr Lim said: “You have to guess for yourself.”

Dr Lim said there was no such need to call for the meeting as the party election would be held next year.

“If you are dissatisfied with him (Dr Teng), you just have to wait until next year.

“There is no need to hold the EGM,” he said.

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Penang Umno tells Gerakan to surrender seats to MCA, MIC

By G. Manimaran

September 14, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — Penang Umno has urged Gerakan to surrender all its contested seats in the state to the MCA and MIC if it has given up hope of wresting Penang from Pakatan Rakyat in the next general election.

Penang Umno deputy chairman Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman told The Malaysian Insider today that Gerakan should immediately notify the Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance if it felt it was no longer capable of facing the election.

Zainal Abidin, who is also the state’s BN deputy chairman, stressed that no political leaders within the BN pact should give up so easily in their struggles.

“Gerakan leaders should not give up on their efforts to recapture Penang, we have to work hard… and if they are unable to, they should inform quickly so that they (MCA and MIC) can take over their roles (in contesting Gerakan’s seats).

“Gerakan should make way for MCA and MIC to contest in the seats that they (Gerakan) contested two years ago if they are no longer confident,” he said when contacted.

At the same time, Zainal Abidin said efforts to regain the support of Penang folk should be improved to help the BN win in the next general election.

“For Umno, we will work hard to win in the election… we won 11 state seats in 2008 and we are confident that we can win two more in the coming election,” he claimed.

He also expressed confidence that Umno would win more parliamentary seats. BN contested five parliamentary seats in Penang in Election 2008 but only won two.

Teng had admitted in an interview that the DAP would continue to rule Penang for one more term. — File pic

Zainal Abidin was responding to Penang Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan’s admission last week that the DAP would continue its rule in Penang for one more term by winning in the coming 13th general election.

In his prediction, Teng said that BN would only have a chance of winning back Penang, which had been ruled by Gerakan since 1969, in the subsequent general election.

In March 2008, Umno contested 15 state seats in the 40-seat Penang assembly and won in 11 constituencies. Gerakan contested 12 seats but failed to capture even one. The remaining seats were contested by the MCA and MIC.

Of the three Pakatan Rakyat parties, DAP took the lead and won all the 19 seats it contested while PKR won nine and PAS won one.

According to Teng, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng would not be able to lead the state after the 14th general election due to his administrative methods.

“With his style of running the government, he will be appointed the chief minister in the next general election, but … not the following general election,” Teng had told The Malaysian Insider.

PR’s mandate will only end in 2013 but already there is speculation that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak would call for early polls at the parliamentary level while state-level elections are to be held at a different date.

Following its dismal performance in the 12th general election, political pundits have described Gerakan as becoming increasingly irrelevant. It now only holds two parliamentary seats.

Zainal Abidin, however, stressed that Teng’s statement and concession to the DAP was not the official stand of the BN or Umno as no prior discussions had been held on the issue.

The Penang BN is currently chaired by Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon who was also the state’s chief minister before Lim. Koh failed in his bid to win a parliamentary seat in the last election.

“Umno was not invited for any discussion to take such a stand… so we regard Teng’s stand as one that is neither the position of BN nor Umno,” said Zainal Abidin.

He added that the foundation of the party’s struggles was to give the best service to the people and to improve its efforts in trying to emerge victorious in the coming election.

He also claimed that there was still time for BN to prepare its strategy.

“In politics, one week is considered a long period… anything can happen, seeing as we do not even know when the elections will be held, maybe in a month, maybe in a year.

“So we (political parties) should use the time available now to improve our efforts in giving the best service to the people,” he said.

While admitting that the BN had committed mistakes in the past, he said the ruling alliance at federal level had improved since then and the people now know that “we have changed”.

“We (BN) want to give the best service to the people. So we should strengthen our party, our party machinery to maintain the level of support from the people, unity and solidarity among party members,” he said.

He said that losing an election was merely a temporary situation but the act of giving up hope would make it a permanent reality.

Only way for MCA, Gerakan to teach Umno respect is leave BN

Only way for MCA, Gerakan to teach Umno respect is leave BN

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

As civil society leaders and business groups call on Prime Minister Najib Razak to stop the public wrangling between MCA and Umno, pundits are privately betting it is a waste of time and the only way to teach Umno a lesson is for BN components like MCA and Gerakan to leave the coalition.

“The time has come to put or shut up. Too many hurtful things have been said by the likes of Utusan, Perkasa and even Muhyiddin himself. If Najib steps in now and they all do a group hug and make up, it only confirms what everyone is thinking - stop the sandiwara,” PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

Indeed, in the past few days the Umno-owned Utusan and Perkasa have gone on rampage, flinging one insult after another at MCA president Chua Soi Lek. They jeered to his face - the so-called leader of the Chinese community in this country - and joked about his sex DVD past, mincing no words in calling him a pornographic actor.

Who can beat Umno at the race-championing game

Perhaps Soi Lek deserved a lot of the mudslinging for trying to beat Umno at the race and religious-championing game. But even so, he and his 78 newly-hired cyber-troopers must have been rattled by the ferocity of the Malay onslaught.

It is time that MCA and Gerakan leaders - cushioned by decades of privileged high government office - realize that this is the sort of treatment ordinary man-in-street non-Malays experience on a daily basis, whether directly or indirectly.

Malaysian society has changed since independence in 1957 and the transformation has been for the worse. In 1957, the world was Malaysia’s oyster. In 2010, there are just 9 years to go before our coffers go bust and we end up bankrupted by the excesses and the corruption of the BN elite.

Whoever speaks up for Malaysia will not be from Umno-BN

William Cheng, the president of the Chinese commercial grouping ACCCIM, was the latest to urge Najib to speak up.

“If every day they quarrel - federal government and the state government, even the state government itself internally has problems, then among the Barisan also quarrel, between the Chinese, Indian, Malay also quarrel - then who wants to come to Malaysia? Government should put a stop to this,” said Cheng.

His observation is astute and naive at the same time. Quarrels that drain both public and investor confidence are erupting on a daily basis but the “Government” will not be putting a stop to it. If anything, the “Government” is actively fanning the fire, sowing the seeds of racial and religious hatred in order to cling to power.

A patriot Cheng may be, but he must acknowledge that throughout the nation's 53-year history, it is exactly this sort of divide-and-rule race-based politicking that has typified Malaysia's “Government”. Without these policies of hatred, Umno would have to reinvent itself, a task that will surely too strenuous for it - accustomed as it is now to the good and easy life.

Umno weakness much greater than expected

A two-party or multiparty system is now inevitable in Malaysia - not really because of the Pakatan’s strength but more so because of Umno’s own shocking weakness. In the current times of stress, it has shown itself to be much weaker than anyone had ever expected or feared.

“They have demonstrated once again that they are incapable of uniting the nation, behaving maturely and responsibly,” PAS MP for Shah Alam Khalid Samad said.

The political pundits are right. There is nothing left for Soi Lek and Tsu Koon to lose. If they are sincere, they should withdraw now and take their followers to safe and higher ground. Otherwise, the Pakatan Rakyat will steamroll through their territory and make a clean sweep.

There is no such thing as “it is not so simple as you think”. It is really quite simple and was done spontaneously by Yong Teck Lee’s SAPP in 2008. In 2010, let it be Soi Lek and Tsu Koon who lead the way - not just for the non-Malays but also for the Malays.

Truly, more than the Chinese, Indians, Kadazan-Dusun-Murut and other races in this country, it is the Malays who need to be saved the most from Umno, Utusan and Perkasa.

Perkasa attack MCA, Gerakan

Perkasa attack MCA, Gerakan

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Malaysia's ruling coalition BN looks headed for an implosion as Prime Minister Najib Razak's Umno party yanks at one partner after another, either directly or through its mouthpieces Perkasa and MPM, in a last-ditch bid to win support from the Malay community, its only hope following the rise of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's multiracial Pakatan Rakyat.

The latest non-Malay BN leader to get a dose of Umno and Perkasa vitriol was Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon. After a long 'silence', Koh finally found the temerity on Sunday to call on notorious government enforcements agencies MACC, Customs and Inland Revenue to go after the big fish and not just small traders.

But it was a little too little, a little too late for Koh, whose political timidity has earned him a mere 1 percent approval rating according to a recent opinion poll. And pundits say this may be why Umno has decided to go after him 'next'. In the past month, it was the MCA and its “sex video actor” president Chua Soi Lek. Now, it looks like it's Tsu Koon’s turn to receive the full barrage of Umno-Perkasa insults.

“Whoever does not respect the social contract which is (Article) 153 of the Constitution can get out of this country. Go back to the place of their forefathers, do not become hypocrites,” Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali was reported as warning Tsu Koon, the minister in the Prime Minister's department in charge of KPIs.

Ibrahim was miffed because Tsu Koon had said it was better if Perkasa focused on the welfare of the Malays rather than wrangle over their 30 percent equity target with MCA. As for Soi Lek, he attracted the Perkasa chief's insulting sex-video-actor comment after urging the Home Ministry to reverse a ban on the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims.

So ludicrous and extreme have Perkasa and MPM become in their demands that few Malaysians bother with their 'hot gas' anymore. They have even begun to irritate the Malays, whom they profess to champion. So too has the Umno-controlled media, in particular Utusan, for its outrageously racial rhetoric and fabrications that have made it a magnet for expensive defamation lawsuits.

“Perkasa and MPM have to keep on trying to grab attention in order to justify their relevance. But they lack finesse and the way they attack annoys people. We are not bothered with them. But what is interesting is the low esteem Umno is showing MCA and Gerakan,” PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin told Malaysia Chronicle.

“It is obvious Umno has no confidence MCA and Gerakan will be able to retain any of their seats. That’s why Soi Lek and Tsu Koon are getting kicked in the backside every day. Soi Lek is now so scared of Umno he has backed off from his 30 percent equity proposal. Both he and Tsu Koon have become the laughing stocks of the country."

The curtains for Tsu Koon and Soi Lek

Indeed Ibrahim’s Perkasa now wants Soi Lek to be arrested for proposing to Prime Minister Najib Razak that the 30 percent Bumiputera equity target be reduced gradually. The proposal was one of the keys resolutions in a 13-point memorandum submitted by MCA to Najib at a high-profile economic congress but Soi Lek has now backtracked, insisting it was just his personal view and not a request.

“Chua Soi Lek, through the resolutions passed during the MCA Chinese Economic Congress, had caused much distress and worry among the Malays in this country. Chua Soi Lek should be placed under the ISA for making these unwarranted demands. If MCA continues like this, we will not vote for any MCA candidates in the coming general election,” Perkasa economic bureau director Zubir Harun told reporters.

Against such Umno bombast, even though unleashed indirectly through Perkasa, it is unlikely that Tsu Koon’s call to the MACC, Customers and Inland Revenue to buck up will be heeded by them or by anyone else in the country at all.

“Action against one big fish is probably better than action against 1,000 small fish,” Bernama had reported Tsu Koon as saying.

But big fish or small fish, the biggest losers are Tsu Koon, Soi Lek and their respective parties. Pundits do not expect either MCA or Gerakan to retain any of their parliamentary seats in the next general election, widely expected to take place after March 2011.

“It looks like the curtains for both men. Their political careers are as good as over because their credibility has been destroyed - not by Pakatan but from the daily caning given by Umno. It is obvious to all that Umno has no confidence in MCA, Gerakan or MIC,” PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

“Umno is putting all their eggs in the Malay basket and that’s why Tsu Koon and Soi Lek have to be the punching bags so that Umno can be the hero to the Malays. The BN is already finished.”

Read also: Najib speaks up on MCA-Umno row, spelling doom forMalaysia...

Gerakan has lost Penang for good, says Keng Yaik

Written by The Edge Financial Daily

Thursday, 18 February 2010 11:12

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In the first part of our interview with Gerakan adviser Tun Dr Lim Keng
Yaik yesterday, he spoke about the problems plaguing both the Barisan
Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalitions. What of his own party?

Lim expressed concern over whether his anointed successor, current Gerakan
president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, can take the party out of its decline.

Although the veteran politician said Koh was the best he had in terms of
intellectual capacity and integrity, he feels that Koh is unable to make
politically difficult decisions and provide leadership.

He thinks that Gerakan would need to go back to its core ideology based on
a multiracial approach before it can pick itself up again.

Lim, who headed Gerakan for 27 years, believes that Gerakan has lost
Penang for good.

“Should it (regain Penang )? No! We missed our chance. In cricket, they say
you had a good innings and 39 years is a long and good one. What more do
we want?” said Lim in his office in Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya
recently.

Lim, who was in government from 1972 to 2008, is also pessimistic about
efforts to turn the country into a high-income economy.

The basis for a knowledge economy is human resource, he said, and to
restructure this, the government would need to change its education
policy.

On the controversy over the usage of the “Allah” word, Lim said that both
sides of the divide were right and wrong at the same time.

“The issue has been over-politicised and maybe the solution lies with the
Council of Rulers,” he added.

This is the second and final part of his interview with Sharon Tan, Cindy
Yeap and Chan Kok Leong of The Edge Financial Daily (TEFD).

TEFD: Can Gerakan retake Penang ?

LKY: No. (Laughs) Should it? No. You missed your chance. In cricket they
said you had a good innings. A long and good innings of 39 years. What
more do you want?

TEFD: What does Gerakan need to do to get back Penang ? Gerakan is seen as
Penang, Penang is Gerakan.

LKY: No more. The long innings is gone. Gerakan has to look after its base
which has been lost. It is baseless. It has to revert to its ideological
background. And it must play a more prominent part as the influencing
partner in future politics to move towards our ideological path.

TEFD: Is Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon the right man for the job?

LKY: What to do? He was the best I had in terms of intellect and
integrity. Nobody can fault me. But in terms of politics, he is still
struggling. If he is not careful, there will be a quiet revolution within
Gerakan.

TEFD: Now there is talk about reallocation of seats in Barisan Nasional
(BN).

LKY: More so that we need an ideological approach rather than trying to
maintain base lah. Then at least we are part of this ideological move to
mature politics on a multiracial basis. Don’t think in terms of numbers or
try to still be in government. Get that out of our bloody minds.

We had a good run in 39 years in a place where we used to have a base. So
instead of hankering for your base, why don’t you follow your ideological
path and choose partners which can fulfil your ideological base? After
March 8, politics is going towards an ideological base that is multiracial
in approach.

TEFD: Where do you see Gerakan in this? Gerakan is a multiracial party and
the conscience of BN.

LKY: We always say that we are too far ahead of ourselves (laughs). That
is why I keep saying that there will be a realignment in future.

TEFD: Which party has most to lose in this realignment?

LKY: Even if PAS joins Umno, do you think they can maintain the majority
on a pure Malay, racist and Islamic agenda? You think they can? I don’t
know.
TEFD: The numbers favour them…

LKY: I don’t think so. I think the young Malays if you get a charismatic
multiracial Malay leadership, you may just beat them with a total block of
non-Malays on their side.

You can get 60% and this new multiracial Malay leadership will get 40% but
with overwhelming non-Malays. I am not saying Chinese and Indians only but
with Kadazans and Ibans.

You try lah.

You think they can get 80% with Umno and PAS joining? The more you push,
the more likely but there are also people in PAS that don’t think they can
do it although Umno wished they would.

It takes a lot. That is why politics is very interesting and challenging
in Malaysia . That’s why as a young man of 28 or 29, I got immersed in
politics. I could see the challenge.

My thoughts and feelings could make a difference. I intended to make a
difference.

But unfortunately 36 years of it makes no difference (laughs). I don’t
know. If in my retirement I can still carry on explaining and guiding the
people to make the right choice, I feel grateful that I am still alive
today.

So in this respect, we need politicians who are more thinkers than those
with personal agendas. We need people to think for our complicated society
and challenges facing our country to allow the people to become part of
this maturing of democratic politics.

TEFD: What is Gerakan’s ideological base now?

LKY: Multiracial, non-racial approach, not only care about Chinese even
though your base is Chinese, but all other races.

TEFD: Gerakan used to have a lot of thinkers but…

LKY: Being in the beehive, the bees start to sting our own people until
they cannot stand it, they start to leave.

TEFD: Are you advocating that Gerakan should get out of BN?

LKY: There is nothing to get out to. How to get out?

TEFD: Within BN there are no multiracial parties except in Sabah and
Sarawak .

LKY: You see lah who is not working with the Ibans and Kadazans.

TEFD: Does Gerakan plan to go to East Malaysia ?

LKY: You don’t tell people what you are going to do early. When PBS and
Gerakan wanted to do the joint council, (former prime minister Tun Dr )
Mahathir (Mohamad) saw it and killed it. Killed it!

Will (Tan Sri Abdul) Taib Mahmud stay? He has good control but will it
split when he’s not there anymore? That will depend on who provides the
leadership for the Ibans. Are they a satisfied lot? I don’t know.

How about in Sabah ? Are the Kadazans okay? There is a big difference
between (Tan Sri) Bernard Dompok and (Datuk) Joseph Pairin Kitingan. One
is too complacent while the other one is still very much a reformist.
Maybe (Gerakan) can even play second fiddle to DAP.

TEFD: What do you make of the “Allah” issue?

LKY: (After deep thought) Both sides are right and both sides are wrong.
Using constitutional rights and universal rights, the Christians might be
right. But in the context of Malaysia , they may be wrong. So both sides
are right and both sides are wrong.

The issue has been over-politicised. To me you should let the Council of
Rulers decide and take it away from the politics and then we may be able
to maintain peace and harmony.

If they decide otherwise then so be it. Even if it is loaded on the Malay
and Islam side, let it be. After all they are rulers.

That is the time for the constitutional monarchy to play its part. Take it
off politics since it has been politicised. And to take it off from
politics, let the rulers decide.

TEFD: You were in the cabinet in 2007 when the issue first came up. How
did they get so far? Was it discussed at all?

LKY: Pak Lah (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) with one hand just brushed it off
just like that. Bernard (Dompok) reported back to the Catholic church that
they cannot do anything. So they went to the court to plead for their
constitutional and universal rights.

You have a situation where the Peninsular Malays/Muslims feel bad but
those in Sabah and Sarawak don’t feel bad because they are used to it.

In Sabah and Sarawak, they use the Bahasa ( Malaysia ) version because they
are not well-versed in English while in the Peninsula they use English
which uses the word God.

The court will rule on constitutional and universal rights but people are
not prepared for that. So it’s better to refer back to the constitutional
monarch which is the rulers in council.

TEFD: Tun, do you think we are more polarised now than before?

LKY: Yes. The implementation of the New Economic Policy. The rise of
religious extremism. And the application of human and universal rights by
the non-Malays. And education and facilities in schools and universities
which have not been balanced over time.

I use that word because they have enough doctors and accountants and
lawyers and yet the quotas still apply.

Opportunities in education and universities have not been balanced over
time. This kind of things, you have to rebalance from time to time.

TEFD: Talking about a high-income economy, can we do it?

LKY: This is difficult. If they don’t change the education policy, they
cannot achieve high-income economy status. If the education policy doesn’t
change with the passage of time, to produce the right human resources for
the needs of this country, then we will regress and not progress.

A high-income economy must be based on people, equipped with the best
knowledge and retained for the country’s use. Then we may stand a chance.
If not, we can talk till the cows come home and we will regress and not
progress.

TEFD: So, isn’t the PPSMI reversal a step back for the high-income economy
drive?

LKY: In my memorandum to Dr Mahathir, I said that Maths and Science should
be taught in their mother tongue in primary schools while English periods
should be increased.

And then English should be made the medium of instruction for Maths and
Science in secondary schools.

In modern education methods, there are better ways of educating people in
languages than what we are currently doing. We can use audio and video to
teach languages instead of the rote system. For that, I used to argue with
Dong Jiao Zong in 1972 when I was still in MCA and asked them, how much
Chinese do you want a Chinese to know?
The East Ender Londoner speaks English which none of us can understand and
yet they are Englishmen.

Equip students with enough content in Chinese to enable them to read and
write and converse in Mandarin. Or do they want every Chinese to be a
literature expert and quote proverbs only Chinese in China understand? If
3,000 words is enough I can’t see how they can’t pump the students with
the words within six years.

I’m English educated but can they say that I’m not a Chinese. Those days I
couldn’t even speak Mandarin although I’ve picked it up now and can give a
two-hour lecture in Mandarin without being able to read Chinese.

They want their mother tongue education, forgetting they are in Malaysia .
Undoubtedly, the Chinese Malaysian is very appreciated in the last 20
years in the international circuit.

To those who have been exposed, the Chinese from here are better
appreciated than those from other countries like mainland China , Taiwan ,
Indonesia , Hongkong and Singapore .

Chinese from Singapore are very educated but have their noses in their
foreheads. China Chinese are hillbillies although they are very much
different today.

Those from Taiwan will eat you up and swallow you lock, stock and barrel.
There won’t even be bones coming out.

And the Hongkong Chinese only care for themselves and nobody else.

There is nothing to say about the Indonesian Chinese as they have even
lost their names.

To appreciate that, the Chinese in Malaysia , being influenced by other
races here, their mannerisms, eating habits and appreciation of
multiracial society that makes them what they are, should be confident of
that.

People outside the country compliment the Chinese Malaysians for being
well mannered, know how to mix with people, caring and don’t impose on
people. All these good characteristics come from here.

What’s wrong?

If 3,000 characters are enough to maintain our mother tongue then that
should be good enough. And then we can spend more time learning English
and Bahasa Malaysia .

There is no doubt that the Malays in this country need help. In any
country, it’s the rural people who need the most help. It so happens that
the rural people in Malaysia , 90% are Malays. It’s a rural problem and not
just a Malay problem. Like Dr Mahathir in The Malay Dilemma says, “You
change the environment, you change the race.”

The NEP should help Malays and enlarge the cake to allow others to have a
piece of the cake. But you must help the great proportion of Malays who
live in the rural areas and change their environment, state of mind and
thinking.

What the government has failed to do is help build entrepreneurs from the
Malay masses. Although professionally they have built up enough people,
there are not enough businessmen. The Chinese entrepreneurs are needed to
help.

Instead of being jealous of them because they have the experience and
capability, they should make use of them by instituting genuine
bumiputera-Chinese joint ventures. Genuine and not Ali Baba style.
Incentivised and monitored by the government, by certain departments.

If we can monitor capital and business structure in the country, why can’t
we incentivise these local joint ventures for a purpose? That is to build
up local entrepreneurship among the Malays.

But those who are not working must be removed without fear or favour,
whether they are Umno or not. But it must be monitored by the government
so that those who are sleeping, lazy or have their own agenda should be
removed and replaced by more genuine ones.

This will stop (Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim) from saying that we are
building Umnoputeras and not bumiputeras. But we have wasted 40 years. The
ones who think they can become rich quickly by joining politics should be
condemned and kept out of politics and government. You know it but don’t
dare say it. I’m saying it now.

In a way, I’m saying that Umno should remove these fellas. There are
50,000 Class F contractors, what for? The famous words are sub, sub, sub,
sub. No wonder, our computer labs have only two “tiangs” and one roof and
then collapse.

If you appreciate the experience and capability of the Chinese, why can’t
we do it? The Malays should be inculcated with the value that you can make
money not only through your own people but through others as well. It can
be tax-free and exposure to capital when there is a Malay partner. It can
be incentivised by the government and monitored.

I always ask, do you need a Malay to help a Malay?

When oil palm went up, it benefited the 75% Malays. 50% of the oil palm is
produced by Felda and 25% by PNB corporates.

But I’m a Chinaman who has helped the small Malay stakeholders be it
rubber or oil palm planters.

They wanted to subsidise cooking oil when the bulk of it is consumed by
Chinese. Want to die ah? Taxing the poor Malay to subsidise the Chinese.
They wanted to impose excess profit taxes on oil palm because of envy of
KLK, IOI’s profits but they forgot about Golden Hope, Sime Darby and
Guthrie and that 50% of the smallholders are from Felda.

I tell you, I give up la talking to this government.

Isn’t racism as dangerous as communism?

Isn’t racism as dangerous as communism?

DEC 12 — In September 2008, the Umno supreme council decided to suspend Ahmad Ismail for three years for uttering racist remarks. Many people had in fact asked that the ISA be used against him, but as an ISA opponent myself, I was against practising double standards, and I thought he should not be held under the ISA but should instead face the other existing laws of the country.

Politically, his antics in fanning the emotions of his members resulting in the pulling down and stamping on the photo of a head of a component party (Gerakan) were inexcusable, and the least Umno could have done is to expel him. A three-year suspension of party membership, without any legal actions taken against him, was grossly inadequate in the minds of many.

Recently, his suspension was lifted, after not even half way through this three-year sentence.

A top leader of Gerakan was quoted, according to a report in Malaysiakini’s Chinese website, as asking reporters when pressed about the lifting of Ahmad’s suspension: "Is this issue important?"

At the same time, a top Penang Gerakan was quoted as asking reporters: "What position is Ahmad occupying in Umno?", implying that since Ahmad is not among top leaders of Umno, he need not answer their questions.

Whether they are right or not, I leave it to you to ponder.

I would only say that in this issue, a few considerations are in order:

Firstly, anything or anyone who stirs racial emotion in a multiracial society is serious and important matter. Anyone doing so, just like anyone committing any crime big or small, must answer to the laws of the country no matter how high or low his position is in society. Under the law, every man is supposed to be equal.

Secondly, politics is about perception. If you are perceived to not even be able to stand up to a second-tier leader of the dominant party, then what would the people think of you and what would the voters think of you? Especially when this bully has uttered racially sensitive words that have hurt the feelings not only of a person but of an entire ethnic group?

Thirdly, to a political party, support from the people is everything. That is why it is important to fight for the interest of the people and with that, support shall come naturally. But what will happen when you are perceived to not even able to stand up to a person who has uttered words that hurt the very people who form your support base?

Lastly, as a result of the third consideration, how are the candidates from this party who have been so belittled going to face the voters come the next general election?

Without the support of the people and the voters, any political party will become irrelevant, and if this party becomes irrelevant, logic and past experience will tell us that the dominant party, Umno, will just chuck the party aside, no matter how subservient and how obedient this party is to Umno.

In politics, it is not about how subservient you are, but rather how useful you are to the dominant party. If you are of no more use (meaning, you no longer enjoy the support of the people), then no matter how diligent or obedient you are, you will be irrelevant.

The experience of PPP is a glaring example. This is a party which used to dominate the whole Kinta Valley, and had four MPs when it joined Barisan Nasional in 1974. What has become of it now? It has lost its relevance and hence it can only take the crumbs or leftovers at the pleasure of the master.

In Ahmad's case, it is not only about how insignificant his party position is, but rather the principle of double standards being practised.

Why is he not being investigated and charged under the laws of the country and merely made to face disciplinary action of Umno? Why aren't the feelings of the people taken into considerations as in the case of Chin Peng, who has not been allowed to come back because of the “feelings of a certain segment of the people who have suffered from his action”?

Isn't racism as dangerous as communism?

Deserves a Wreath , not bouquet of flowers













DAP backbencher apologises over offensive SMS

Quality Elected Legislators ? or Pasar Malam Legislators !

Penang government backbencher Koid Teng Guan today apologised for forwarding an offensive short text messages in Chinese calling on Penangites to "bury Barisan Nasional and pray for their souls during Qing Ming" (Chinese all souls day prayer).

Sungai Pinang assemblyperson Koid Teng Guan (left) claimed he had re-forwarded the SMS, which he allegedly received from another person, because he thought the SMS was a joke.

"I wish to apologise for re-forwarding an SMS in form of joke about Gerakan and MCA.

"This joke was forwarded to me. I agree it is inappropriate for such jokes to be re-forwarded by a Penang government assemblyperson.

"I would also withdraw and apologise for my subsequent press comments joking about re-forwarding the SMS," he told a press conference at the Penang assembly sitting today.

Koid also promised not to repeat the mistake by re-forwarding such inappropriate sms jokes about Gerakan and MCA.

Last night Penang Gerakan youth chairperson Oh Tong Keong, accompanied by vice chairpersons Tan Kah Leong and H'ng Khoon Leng, lodged a police report at Jalan Patani station over the issue.

Koid must quit

According to Oh, media reports had said that some 400 SMSes were circulated by the DAP assemblyperson on Tuesday afternoon.

"How could an assemblyperson, who is responsible to his constituents, send out SMS while the state assembly session was on?" asked Oh.

Why was he not paying attention to the proceedings when he was elected to fight for the needs of his constituency ?

Earlier today Gerakan state publicity, information and communications bureau secretary Thor Teong Gee (right) and MCA state deputy chief Eng Hiap Boon called on Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to order Koid to quit as Sungai Pinang elected representative.

They said Koid's irresponsible action was unbecoming of an assemblyperson.

"Koid has undermined the credibility of the state government, which emphasises on competency, accountability and transparency," they said.

Speaking on behalf of the state government, state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh said that the question of Koid resigning as an assemblyperson did not arise given that the DAP backbencher had been "man enough to stand up and own up to his responsibility".

Phee (left) said the Pakatan Rakyat state government and the DAP viewed the issue seriously and regretted the incident. He said Koid had been advised accordingly over the matter.

"Koid has accepted his mistake and apologised. I think this is good enough," Phee told journalists.

When Koid was asked whether he forwarded more than 400 SMSes during the assembly sitting, Phee came to his colleague's rescue, stressing that "Koid's apology was good enough to put the issue to rest".

The copying incident

Phee said that the issue was not about how many SMSes were sent or whether the SMSes were sent during the assembly sitting.

"The most important thing is that Koid has been man enough to apologise," stressed Phee.

This is the second time Koid was caught in an embarrassing situation since being elected as Sungai Pinang assemblyperson in 2008 general election.

During the July sitting last year, Gerakan caught Koid copying a former BN assemblyperson Ong Thean Lye's written question and submitting it as his own.

Koid later apologised over that incident.

The people voted him in to serve them, not for him to tell people to go to hell,” Eng Hiap Boon from MCA said.

Guan Eng gets flak over three big issues

2009/11/25

By Sharanjit Singh and Adie Suri Zulkefli

BUTTERWORTH: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng found himself under attack on three fronts yesterday.

Penang Regional Development Authority (Perda) chairman Datuk Azhar Ibrahim criticised Lim for trying to project himself as a champion of low-cost housing in the state.

He challenged Lim to reveal how many low-cost houses the DAP-led state government had built, instead of merely asking Perda to provide homes for the low-income group.

He also called on Lim to explain the status of a low-cost housing board that had been proposed by the state government in May.

"There is still no sign of the board mooted by Lim to oversee and resolve problems of low-cost housing in Penang. If he is a true champion on the low-cost housing issue, he should walk the talk and stop pointing fingers at others."

Azhar was responding to Lim's query on Perda's role in building low-cost homes in the state following its proposal to build high-end houses in its two housing projects in Teluk Bahang and Sungai Batu in Teluk Kumbar.

He explained that the rationale behind incorporating high-end houses for the two projects was to recover the cost of acquiring the land and building the low-cost units.

Perda had paid RM20 million for the site in Teluk Bahang and RM16 million for the land in Sungai Batu.

Meanwhile, state Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan took Lim to task for his "confusing statements" on the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) president's post and land conversion issue.

He said Lim's statements had exposed his ignorance on both matters, adding that the chief minister was fast proving himself to be the "King Twister of Penang".

Dr Teng questioned why MPPP secretary Patahiyah Ismail was not made acting president, but just asked to assume the duties.

He said that Lim's explanation that Patahiyah could not be made acting president as MPPP president Tan Cheng Chui was merely on leave pending retirement on March 1, was illogical.

"Lim says it is not possible as Tan is merely on leave and is still the council president. At the same time, he says Tan has resigned as a municipal councillor. How can you resign as a councillor and still be a council president?"

Dr Teng said Lim's refusal to appoint Patahiyah as acting president could have serious consequences later on.

This was because Patahiyah would be taking on the president's role without actually being given the authority to sign important documents and chair meetings.

On the land conversion issue involving a prime seafront plot in Lebuh Farquhar, Dr Teng said: "Lim's contention is that he did not mislead the state legislative assembly when he said there was no conversion of state land between April, last year, and June.

"He denied that the land at Lebuh Farquhar belonged to the state as it was leased out. Is he now saying that the Penang state government is disclaiming all leasehold land on the island?"

Lim also came under fire from Cuepacs president Omar Osman, who sprang to the defence of embattled state development office director Nik Ali Mat Yunus.

Lim had accused Nik Ali of attempting to sabotage state tourism projects, but Omar yesterday said it was unbecoming of the chief minister to make such accusations.

He said Lim should stop picking on Nik Ali as the latter was merely carrying out his duty to coordinate Federal Government-funded development projects for the state.

He stressed it would have been wiser for Lim to use proper channels to voice his unhappiness instead of using the media to bash Nik Ali.