PCM Youth Chief threatened by anonymous acts of intimidation

Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) Youth Chief Liew Yeow Hooi received threatening anonymous letters on his car splashed with red paint.

December 21, 2010

Air Putih, Penang – Parti Cinta Malaysia Youth Chief Liew Yeow Hooi today received threatening copies of a letter without bearing any signatures on his car, which was also splashed with red paint by the perpetrators. In a press conference in his residence, he condemned those involved in the acts as extreme and brutal.

Liew said that from the threatening tones of the contents in the letter, it appears that there are some parties out there who are against him for protesting against the Penang state government in front of the Penang State Assembly and also his intention to submit a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Penang on the recent water tariff hikes and extended parking rates. Liew further said he was shocked and did not expect such retaliation from the parties concerned.

Liew continued on that PCM is just a small political party and the Pakatan Rakyat DAP-led Penang state government need not worry about any hidden agenda by PCM in voicing out issues affecting ordinary Penangites. Also present and accompanied Liew in the press conference was PCM Vice-President Major Huan Cheng Guan.

Liew revealed last night that he took his family out in his car to go shopping. After which, nothing happened for the night. However, unexpectedly at 7.50am this morning when he was about to go out, he found red paint splashed on his car and those anonymously typed letters.

PCM condemns anonymous cowardice intimidation

Liew said he joined PCM because of its Patriotic, Caring and Multiracial ideology, and claimed to be even wounded as a result of attacks by Pakatan supporters. But this did not stop him to stick to his political philosophy and struggles.

Liew suspected that when he voiced out for the people of Penang against the transgressions of the Penang state government, he had always received threats and warnings from various parties.

“The DAP claims to be Democratic and PKR claims to uphold Justice. But where is Democracy and Justice in this case?” queried Liew, who also said DAP had labeled MCA as Mahu Cari Angpau and PCM as Parti Cari Makan, which is not a very nice thing to do.

“If I call the DAP as Daddy Anak Party, will they like it? I am sure they also do not like the labeling. Nobody wants their party to be degraded in such a manner,” said a visibly upset Liew.

He urged Pakatan supporters to stop the extreme behaviour and ruthless attitude, which will never be accepted by the rakyat.

Huan: We welcome an open debate with the Penang state government

Meanwhile, PCM VP Huan Cheng Guan has pointed out that if the Pakatan Rakyat members and supporters have any comments on PCM and its roles, he welcomed them to a public debate rather than making cowardice moves.

“By resorting to such desperate and cowardice measures, this goes to show they are nothing but a bunch of political eunuchs!” exclaimed Huan.

He said Liew has contacted him this morning and he immediately went over to Penang from Perai to get hold of the situation and will further discuss in the party on how to deal with Liew’s political challenges in the future. He also said police investigations should be accelerated to reduce the serious threats posed to Liew and his family. He regretted that those suspects failed to be nabbed and put to justice.

Since joining PCM, Liew has been a target of various intimidations, among others:

March 5, 2009: His residence got splashed with green paint.

October 8, 2009: Some local residents attempted to attack his father, but fortunately other local residents prevented the incident.

December 24, 2009: Was violently assaulted by a Pakatan supporter until he needed numerous stitches on his face.

November 22, 2010: Received death threats via his mobile phone.

Ends.

PRESS STATEMENT RELEASED BY PARTI CINTA MALAYSIA ACTION TEAM CHIEF THAM WENG FATT ON 20TH DECEMBER 2010

PARTI CINTA MALAYSIA ACTION TEAM CHIEF THAM WENG FATT TODAY CALLED ON THE JELUTONG PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLYMAN JEFF OOI WHO IS ALSO THE STATE TELECOMMUNICATIONS TASK FORCE CHAIRMAN NOT ACT LIKE HE IS A HERO AND IF NOT, HE WILL SOON BECOME ZERO.

WHAT THE STATE LOCAL AUTHORITY MPPP AND MPSP DID TO REJECT THE YTL YES 4G APPLICATION TO SET UP ITS STATION WAS CORRECT FOR THE SAKE OF PUBLIC SAFETY AS THE EXISTING TELCO ISSUES HAVE NOT BEEN SETTLE YET. WITH THE REJECTION OF THE TWO LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAS NOT DONE ANY DAMAGE TO YTL COMPANY AS THEY CAN ALWAYS REAPPEAL IT TO THE LOCAL AUTHORITY. SO WHY IS JEFF OOI COMPLAINING ?

BLAMING THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES FOR TURNING DOWN AN INVESTMENT OF MORE THAN RM100MIL IS REALLY UNCALLED FOR AS THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE THE PUBLIC CONCERN IN MIND, AS WELL AS SETTLEMENT OF ALL THE EXISTING ILLEGAL TELCO TOWERS ON THE ISLAND.

I SINCERELY HOPE THAT JEFF OOI SHOW MORE CONCERN ON THE MANY EXISTING TELCO TOWERS WHERE MORE THAN SEVENTY PERCENT OF WHICH ARE STILL DEEMED ILLEGAL UNTIL TODAY. THE DATE LINE IS 31ST DECEMBER 2010 FOR ALL ILLEGAL TELCO TOWERS TO BE TAKEN DOWN. IF JEFF OOI IS SINCERE TO THE PEOPLE ON THE TELCO ISSUES, I URGE HIM TO MEET THE RESIDENTS OF LEBUH BAKAU WHERE THE TELCO TOWER IS STILL AN ISSUE UNTIL TODAY AND IF YOU DON'T ATTEND THE MEETING, SHAME ON YOU AS A WAKIL RAKYAT.

AT THE SAME TIME, I STRONGLY URGE CHIEF MINISTER LIM GUAN ENG TO CONTROL HIS STATE EXCOS AND REMIND THEM NOT TO INTERFERE WITH THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROCESS AS BY ATTACKING ITS OWN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY IS A SHAME IN THE EYES OF THE PUBLIC.

FINALLY, PARTI CINTA MALAYSIA STRONGLY URGE THE STATE AND LOCAL AUTHORITY TO DISMANTLE ALL THE ILLEGAL TELCO AREIALS ON ALL THE ROOF TOPS IMMEDIATELY BY NEXT WEEK AT THE DOT OF THE DATELINE ON DECEMBER 31ST 2010 WITH NO FURTHER EXTENTION OF DATELINES.

THANK YOU

Press statement by PARTI CINTA MALAYSIA Central Youth Chief regarding RON95 fuel and sugar price increase.

Kenyataan media oleh Ketua Pemuda Pusat PARTI CINTA MALAYSIA berkenaan kenaikan harga gula dan minyak RON95.

I refer to the recent hikes in RON95 petrol of 5 cents and also 20 cents sugar hike by the Federal Government.

Saya merujuk kepada kenaikan terkini harga petrol RON95 sebanyak 5 sen dan juga harga gula sebanyak 20 sen oleh Kerajaan Persekutuan.

I appeal to the Prime Minister to reconsider such hikes. Although the stated hikes may not appear to be high, but for the low-income groups, it is burdening and pressuring for them to cope with the rising cost of living.

Saya merayu kepada Perdana Menteri untuk menilai semula kenaikan tersebut. Walaupun kenaikan minyak dan gula ini nampaknya tidak begitu tinggi, namun kepada golongan yang berpendapatan rendah, mereka amat tertekan dan dibebani masalah kos hidup yang semakin meningkat.

I understand the recent hikes are part of the subsidy rationalization program done by the Government under PEMANDU. However, the government also mentioned that there would be no more hikes for this year. It is regrettable that the Government seems to have reneged on its promise not to increase fuel prices until the end of 2010.

Saya faham bahawa kenaikan tersebut adalah rancangan kerajaan untuk rasionalisasi subsidi oleh PEMANDU tetapi kerajaan ada juga menyebut bahawa tidak akan ada sebarang kenaikan harga minyak pada tahun ini. Adalah mengecewakan dan disesali bahawa kerajaan nampaknya bertindak memungkiri janji untuk tidak menaikkan harga minyak sehingga akhir tahun 2010.

I hereby request the kind consideration of the Prime Minister to use his executive powers as stated in the Constitution to ensure prices of essential items such as fuel, cooking oil, sugar and other basic ingredients are controlled or even reduced if possible. This will make the rakyat happier, at the same time; reduce their cost of living.

Saya dengan ini memohon jasa baik Perdana Menteri untuk menggunakan kuasa eksekutif beliau seperti yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan untuk memastikan harga barangan terkawal seperti petrol, gula, minyak masak dan lain-lain lagi keperluan asas dikawal dan dikurangkan sekiranya boleh. Ini akan menggembirakan rakyat, pada masa yang sama, mengurangkan kos kehidupan mereka yang saban hari kian meningkat.

However, if it is not possible or rational to reduce the prices of the commodities mentioned, please consider tax cuts and financial assistance for the lower income groups and the hardcore poor so that while Malaysia continue to prosper; the not-so-lucky Malaysians will not be left out in mainstream development.

Walau bagaimanapun, jika tidak mungkin atau tidak rasional untuk menurunkan harga komoditi seperti yang dinyatakan, sila pertimbangkan potongan cukai dan bantuan kewangan untuk golongan yang kurang berada, khususnya fakir miskin. Ini penting kerana dalam kita mengejar kemajuan, kita tidak ingin melihat golongan rakyat yang kurang bernasib baik tercicir dari arus pembangunan nasional.

I urge the Prime Minister and the Federal Government to take all the necessary measures to safeguard the well being of the poor and needy in Malaysia so that together we can achieve Vision 2020 without any Malaysians left behind.

Justeru, saya menyeru Perdana Menteri dan Kerajaan Persekutuan untuk mengambil segala langkah yang sewajarnya untuk melindungi kebajikan rakyat yang miskin dan memerlukan di Malaysia supaya kita dapat mencapai Wawasan 2020 tanpa ada sesiapa pun warganegara Malaysia yang ketinggalan.

Thank you very much.

Berbanyak-banyak terima kasih.

LIEW YEOW HOOI

PCM CENTRAL YOUTH CHIEF

KETUA PEMUDA PUSAT PCM

Dear Penang Chief Minister LGE

Surat Terbuka kepada Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang

Kepada YAB Lim Guan Eng

Dengan segala hormatnya, saya ingin menarik perhatian Tuan berkenaan dua isu, seperti di bawah:

1) Kenaikan tariff air di Pulau Pinang

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) mempunyai “Common Policy Framework” atau CPF yang selalu dilaung-laungkan oleh Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Akan tetapi, dalam isu yang mudah diselesaikan seperti harga air, nampaknya tidak akan koordinasi antara negeri-negeri pimpinan PR.

Menteri Besar Selangor dan beberapa YB dari PR telah menentang tindakan SYABAS menaikkan harga air, malah mereka telah melancarkan protes/bantahan dan penyerahan memorandum kepada DYMM SPB Yang di-Pertuan Agong di Istana Negara. Para pemimpin PR tersebut telah mendakwa bahawa tindakan SYABAS menaikkan harga air akan membebankan rakyat.

Walau bagaimanapun, Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, merangkap Pengerusi Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP) nampaknya bertindak terbalik dan songsang daripada tindakan kerajaan negeri Selangor.

Sepatutnya, pihak Tuan harus menuruti langkah kerajaan negeri Selangor membantah tindakan menaikkan harga air. Sebaliknya, kami kesal pihak kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang menaikkan tariff air sebanyak 27%. Untuk mengatakan bahawa kenaikan 27% hanya akan menjejaskan hanya 30% penduduk Pulau Pinang adalah penjelasan yang tidak munasabah.

Adalah menjadi pandangan dan persetujuan umum bahawa kenaikan harga yang melibatkan keperluan asas seperti air dan tenaga akan menjurus kepada “tindak balas rantai” yang akan meningkatkan lagi kos pengeluaran dan terus membebankan rakyat. Rakyat paling takut akan kenaikan harga keperluan asas.

Malahan, Perdana Menteri baru menyatakan bahawa sebarang kenaikan bagi tariff elektrik akan mengambil kira kos beban kepada rakyat. Kami berharap Tuan akan sedar tentang tekanan yang bakal dihadapi oleh golongan berpendapatan rendah. Pemimpin dan pengarah atasan yang duduk di atas kerusi empok di hierarki tertinggi pimpinan kerajaan negeri tidak mungkin memahami kesusahan dan keperitan golongan bawahan. Kami berharap Tuan dapat menjawab soalan berikut, “Kenapa wujudnya ‘double-standard’ antara dasar air Pakatan Rakyat di Selangor dengan dasar air di Pulau Pinang?”

2) Mengenakan bayaran tempak letak kereta sehingga tengah malam

Saya merujuk kepada isu kedua di atas. Keputusan pihak majlis perbandaran untuk mengenakan caj letak kereta sehingga lewat malam bertujuan untuk menangani masalah pemungut bayaran letak kereta secara haram adalah tidak dapat diterima.

Saya perlu bertanya kepada MPPP dan MPSP, “Adakah tugas pihak majlis hanya mengeluarkan saman kepada warga yang gagal membayar caj letak kereta?” Pihak majlis seharusnya jangan membebankan rakyat Pulau Pinang dengan menyaman kenderaan mereka tetapi mengambil tindakan terhadap “pemungut caj tempak letak kereta haram” yang semakin banyak berkeliaran dan menjadi masalah kebejatan sosial yang berlaku secara berleluasa di Pulau Pinang.

Nampaknya, berlaku masalah kurang penguatkuasaan oleh pihak majlis. Adalah tidak wajar bagi pihak majlis yang tidak kompeten dalam menangkap pihak yang bertanggungjawab mengutip bayaran yang “haram” menyebabkan penduduk Pulau Pinang menanggung beban ketidakcekapan pihak majlis. Ini secara langsung bertentangan dengan prinsip CAT (Cekap, Akauntabel, Telus), seperti yang dilaung-laungkan oleh Ketua Menteri sendiri.

Kesimpulannya, saya ingin mengulangi soalan saya kepada Tuan tentang kenaikan tariff air dan tindakan mengenakan caj letak kereta sehingga larut malam – adakah dasar-dasar kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang ini konsisten dengan aspirasi rakyat dan juga slogan CAT? Janganlah CAT hanya tinggal omong-omong kosong sahaja.

Sekian, terima kasih.

Liew Yeow Hooi

Ketua Pemuda Pusat

Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM)

10 Disember 2010.

_____________________________________

Open letter to the Chief Minister of Penang

Dear YAB Lim Guan Eng,

I hereby request your kind attention on the following two issues:

1) Increased water tariff in Penang

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) boasts of its Common Policy Framework (CPF). However, in a simple issue regarding water tariff, there seems to be no coordination between the PR-ruled states of Penang and Selangor.

We can observe that the Selangor MB and a few other PR YBs have oppose the water tariff hikes by SYABAS, and they even organized a protest/demonstration in downtown KL to hand over a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at Istana Negara. These Pakatan Rakyat leaders claimed the act by SYABAS in increasing water bills is burdening the rakyat.

However, the Penang Chief Minister by virtue of being the Chairman of Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP) seems to act in a diametrically opposed way of the Selangor state government.

Instead of objecting to an increase in the said hikes, you are increasing water tariffs by 27%. To say that a 27% hike will only affect about 30% of the Penang residents is uncalled for.

It is common sense that any increase in the prices of basic necessities such as water and energy will lead to a chain reaction which will further increase production cost and burden the people. The people are most afraid of the increase in basic necessities.

In fact, the Prime Minister has recently stated that any increase in electricity tariffs will take into account the cost of burden to the rakyat. We hope you will take heed of the pressure faced by the low-income group as those sitting on the comforts of their chairs of the top leadership in the Penang state government will not understand the hardships suffered by the poor. We hope you will be able to answer the question of “Why the double-standards between the water policy of the Selangor and Penang governments?”

2) Charging parking rates up till midnight in Penang

I refer to the above-mentioned second issue. The decision by local councils to charge parking rates based on the reason of “eliminating illegal parking attendants” cannot be justified. It is made to appear that the rakyat agree and support the action by the state government.

I must ask the local councils of MPPP and MPSP, “Do you only issue summons on those who failed to pay their parking fees?” Rather than burdening the people with summons, why not take action and nab those irresponsible illegal parking attendants who are mere nuisance to our society. Do I smell lack of enforcement and clear-cut double standards here? It is indeed unfair for Penangites to carry the burden of the incapable, lackadaisical attitude of the local councils’ enforcers. This is certainly not reflective of CAT (Competency, Accountability, Transparency).

In conclusion, I would reiterate my question to you about the increase in water tariffs which will burden the traders and extra charges of parking fees – are they consistent with the people’s aspirations and also the CAT slogan? We hope CAT will not turn into Corruption, Arrogance, Transgression.

Thank you.

Liew Yeow Hooi

Youth Chief

Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM)

10 December 2010.

_________________________

Model politik baru mungkin diwujud bagi kelangsungan Umno: Najib

Selepas membuat pembentangan Bajet yang disifatkan ramai sebagai Bajet menjelang Pilihan Raya Umum 13, pada hari ini PM telah melontarkan satu ide baru iaitu "model politik baru". Nampaknya dalam semenjak dua menjak ini Perdana Menteri kita sukakan perkataan "model" bagi membawa sesuatu idea pembaharuan yang sebelum ini "model ekonomi baru".

Model politik baru mungkin diwujud bagi kelangsungan Umno: Najib

October 16, 2010. PUTRAJAYA, 16 Okt – Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak mengusulkan kemungkinan diwujudkan Model Politik Baru bagi memastikan kelangsungan Umno sebagai parti yang menerajui pemerintahan negara.

“Bukan sahaja kita perlu Model Ekonomi Baru, kita mungkin perlu Model Politik Baru,” katanya ketika berucap di majlis pelancaran Kelab Umno Pesara Kakitangan Kerajaan di Seri Perdana di sini.

Najib, yang juga Presiden Umno berkata strategi seperti “politik pembangunan” tidak lagi berkesan jika digunakan sekarang.

“Saya kira mengapa orang menolak parti-parti yang banyak berjasa dahulu kerana parti itu tidak berubah. Parti itu dilihat sebagai kaku dan tidak dinamik. Mereka tidak berubah mengikut masa.

“Tetapi sebaliknya kalau kita berubah dan kita dilihat sebagai parti yang dinamik dan segar, Insya-Allah sokongan rakyat pada kita akan berterusan pada masa-masa akan datang,” katanya.

Walau bagaimanapun berdasarkan petikan dari laporan Malaysian Insider di atas kita belum nampak lagi bagaimana rupa model politik baru itu. Dan apakah model politik baru itu meliputi sama parti pembangkang atau sesama BN sahaja.

Yang jelas PM seakan mengakui bahawa "politik pembangunan" tidak lagi berkesan pada hari ini. Maknanya rakyat telah faham hari ini bahawa pembangunan adalah perkara wajib dilakukan sesiapa sahaja yang menjadi kerajaan. Untuk itu janji-janji politik berbentuk pembangunan tidak dapat menarik minat rakyat lagi dan janji itu pula pada kebiasaannya sekadar janji semasa Pilihan Raya.

Kita seringkali mendengar upacara pecah tapak sesuatu projek seperti pembinaan hospital, jambatan dan sebagainya yang entah berapa kali PRU diadakan upacara pecah tanah, sedangkan projek tidak nampak batang hidungnya.

Mengikut PM, model politik baru ini adalah perlu bagi memastikan kelangsungan UMNO sebagai parti yang menerajui pemerintahan negara. Apakah ini satu "retorik" pada rakan-rakan dalam BN atau satu anjakan baru dalam politik Malaysia. Mungkin dalam Perhimpunan Agung UMNO akan datang akan lebih jelas corak "model politik baru" yang dimaksudkan oleh PM ini.

Whither Penang Gerakan?

Leadership crisis continues to haunt Penang Gerakan

Sep 22, 10 12:14pm

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The move by a group of Gerakan grassroots members, identifying themselves as "voices of the grassroots" and calling for an EGM on Oct 10 to remove Gerakan's elected state chairperson Teng Hock Nan, does not really come as a surprise.

To many political watchers in Penang, this is the first EGM in Gerakan's history to remove an elected leader, a result of the accumulation of unresolved issues and frustrations that can be traced back to events just before the 2008 general election. 

It all started with who was supposed to be the next chief minister of Penang after Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon left his state government position to contest a parliamentary seat.

As the party supremo, it was only natural for Koh to move up to the national political scene. 

But the tussle over who was supposed to succeed him from among three potential candidates – Teng Hock Nan (right), Chia Kwang Chye and Teng Chang Yeow – and the lack of a decisive solution on the matter subsequently brought about disastrous results for the party when it lost its Penang power base in the general election. 

Referring to the proposed EGM, a party insider said the long-drawn issue involving the two Tengs and Chia, also nicknamed the "three musketeers", has re-surfaced.

He said Gerakan's top leadership had the opportunity to resolve the matter during the party's state election in September 2008 when Chang Yeow and other leaders supported Chia to be the Gerakan state chairperson for Penang.

"At that time, the national leaders should have stepped in and worked out a amicable solution by persuading Teng (Hock Nan) to allow Chia (left) to be the state chairperson instead of allowing him to contest the post.

“Moreover, the other leader Chang Yeow had already agreed to Chia's leadership. They should have convinced Teng to move on to national politics. However, this was not done," explained the party insider.

Hock Nan triumphed at the bitterly contested Penang Gerakan election, narrowly defeating Chia by 10 votes. 

For a while, things seemed to have settled down after the party polls. But the situation took a turn for the worse again when Hock Nan was accused of placing his supporters as constituency coordinators in the state and parliamentary seats where Gerakan had lost to the opposition in 2008. 

This particularly bristled those in constituencies controlled by some Gerakan leaders on the mainland side of Penang, with some divisional and state leaders claiming that they were not consulted. 

"The mainland side was mostly controlled by the then Gerakan vice-chairperson Huan Cheng Guan, but Teng (Hock Nan) decided to put his people (as coordinators) without consulting him on the choice and this angered Huan. This eventually led to a confrontation between the two," said a Penang-based grassroots leader who did not wish to be identified. 

Huan to oust Hock Nan?

The height of the confrontation was when Gerakan decided to suspend Huan for three years following his strong criticism of Hock Nan.

Huan quit the party a month later despite the fact that he was one of the three elected vice-chairpersons in the national leadership. 

There has been talk that Huan (far right), who is now Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) vice-president, has been working behind the scenes with some leaders in Gerakan to oust Hock Nan. 

"If you look at the list of 67 requisitionists for the EGM, most of them are known to be Huan's men. It didn't come as a surprise as Huan is known to have a score to settle with Dr Teng. Don't underestimate his influence in the party even when he is not in Gerakan anymore," warned another Penang-based grassroots leader. 

However, Huan has strongly denied any involvement. 

Some party members also said that Chang Yeow's relationship with Hock Nan was not so smooth after the general election in 2008 as both of them were said to have differed over the direction of the state Gerakan. 

They said that Chang Yeow believed that as a leader, he (Chang Yeow) should be given a safe seat to contest in the next general election but Hock Nan argued that whoever wanted to be a leader, should take a tough seat instead. 

"Both of them always clashed in the CWC (Central Working Committee) or even CC (Central Committee) meetings. It's an open secret," said a party leader. 

Both Chia and Chang Yeow had also denied that they were behind moves to oust Hock Nan via the EGM. 

Sivamurugan Pandian, a political analyst at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), said that between the 2008 general election and now, Gerakan had not been performing its role as the opposition in Penang as it had been bogged down by internal strife.

"It's a wake-up call for all in the party who are still embroiled in the infighting. They need to re-strategise how to be the opposition and not quarrel about who should lead the fight," he said. 

He attributed the persistent infighting in Penang Gerakan to the lack of attention given by the national party leadership following the dismal performance in the last general election.

"Gerakan's base is still in Penang. You cannot move out from Penang even when the party seems to be better off in Johor and Sabah lately," Sivamurugan (above) said, adding that Gerakan's national leaders had no choice but to intervene in Penang.

Suspending the entire state committee

He felt that if the EGM was allowed to convene, it could push the party towards a situation worse than that immediately following the 2008 general election. 

"Koh has to solve it. If the EGM is carried out and Teng ousted, how are you going to reconcile the party? If the requisitionists fail, are they going to stay in the party?

“The power struggle in Penang Gerakan needs to be solved as soon as possible," he said, adding that one of the reasons why the party lost in March 2008 was because of the infighting over who should be the next chief minister. 

Some party insiders argued that Koh should have acted fast to suspend the entire state committee before the situation got worse. 

"The problem is that he (Koh) is too careful," said a former CC member, adding that under Lim Keng Yaik's leadership, the entire Penang state Gerakan committee would have been suspended by now and put under a caretaker until all issues were resolved like what Keng Yaik did in Johor and Melaka. 

Veteran political analyst Cheah See Kian countered that the move to oust Hock Nan only started a few months ago and was not related to the ongoing party infighting since 2008.

He believed that the tussle was between Gerakan members on the island and the mainland. The mainlanders are unhappy with Hock Nan as they claim that most of the party's activities in the state are concentrated on the island. 

They also claim that they have no clue as to Hock Nan's game plan to recapture Penang although he had been the Penang Gerakan boss for two years. 

Hock Nan, often described as Koh's proxy and who was recently reported to have said that Gerakan had no chance of capturing Penang in next general election, had not only incensed the mainlanders but also other BN component parties.

If Hock Nan goes, will Chia, Gerakan's former party secretary-general, make a comeback? Chia is said to have many supporters in Penang. The requisitionists have so far not mentioned whom they want. 

"If Chia declines, Chang Yeow may take over. But Chang Yeow is also the party secretary-general. He can't hold two posts unless he wants to let go of the secretary-general's position," said Cheah. 

The party's national leadership has set up a team of mediators consisting of vice-chairperson Mah Siew Keong and A Kohilan, Youth chief Lim Si Pin and CC member Gooi Hoe Hin to work out an amicable solution in Penang. 

If the mediators fail, the EGM will take place on Oct 10, exactly one year after the MCA also held its own EGM which saw its previous president, Ong Tee Keat, losing a no-confidence vote.

- Bernama

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Comments 1 to 11 of 11

Voice In order to ensure a safe, smooth and non bumpy journey, this young Gerakan chaps trying to kick out a senior leader from the party. The reason is one person died better than all person died. Instead of looking for a win win way they resort to use hostile manner on their own party comrade. Is this doing a correct and acceptable way of life in politic? Can we see any ethic from this act? Can we see any future of Penang from this young Gerakan chaps if they are in their party top leadership one day ?

2 hours ago · Report

libra At least Gerakan members has the privilage to exercise their rights when their leaders cannot perform. In the DAP, the father and son teams will never give you a chance. Just look what happen to Fong Po Kuan,Teng Chang Kim and Ker Kim Hock. Inspite of the negative comments on Gerakan, it is funny to note that Gerakan attracted new members including some state assemblymen like YB HO from cameron highland and two from Sabah.

3 hours ago · Report

DontPlayGod Why bother with the power struggle? Gerakan is finished as a party, especially the party leaders acting as lackeys to UMNO. I repeat my earlier predictions, that come next G.E. both Gerakan and MCA will not win a single seat.

3 hours ago · Report

Andrew Yong Like bald men fighting over a comb ... Gerakan has failed to achieve anything joining BN and thinking it could influence the government from within. It is probably too late for it to regenerate - its place has been taken by DAP and PKR, whose ideology more closely resembles what Gerakan used to stand for. What exactly does Gerakan have to offer the people of Penang? Why vote for Opposition Lite when we can have the real thing? On the other hand, if we want federal projects we might as well vote MCA, who at least control the Transport Ministry.

7 hours ago · Report

Multi Racial I don't quite understand why are they quarreling about the position of a party which is dying. Does not matter what position you held in Gerakan. As far as I am concern, Gerakan is as good as dead following the 2008 general election.

9 hours ago · Report

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