Who Gets the Pearl?
Penang is once again in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. The tussle for chairmanship of the Penang Barisan Nasional was made public when Penang Umno Liaison Committee chairman Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the state BN chairman’s seat should be held by an Umno leader.
By Masterwordsmith
He claimed it would strengthen the coalition’s position in the state. Umno held all the seats won by the BN in the state during the last general election. The chairmanship of Penang BN has never been held by Umno. Currently, Umno holds 11 seats while the Pakatan pact of DAP, PKR and PAS, which forms the state government, holds the other 29 seats in the 40-seat state legislative assembly.
Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, the present state BN chairman, said the the party would object any proposal for change. The post has been held by Gerakan leaders for more than 35 years.
Malaysian Mirror reported:
“The arrangement of the chairmanship was endorsed again in the middle of this year by the BN supreme council and it should not be raise yet again,” he said.
“Do not raise the issue again.”
Koh who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department also urged Umno leaders from raising sensitive issues that may damage the image of BN and even Umno.
“It would not benefit any party by raising the issue again, instead it may only damage BN’s image in the eyes of the community in Penang and elsewhere. We will object any such move,” he said.
Let’s face the facts squarely and call a spade a spade.
Firstly, Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi claimed that they are are desirous of working for the BN and cooperating with the other component parties. Such a move would certainly anger other component parties, in particular Gerakan, and would make it more difficult for them to work together – if they can still work together after all that has happened.
Secondly, could this perhaps be the reason why Ahmad Ismail’s suspension was lifted and his membership reinstated? Don’t forget that after that, he demanded that Gerakan apologized to him. Tan Sri Dr, Koh regarded this development as ‘insignificant’.
Thirdly, Gerakan has to be realistic. The curtains call was given for the party in the last GE when it was decimated completely and is now inconsequential and unimportant to UMNO. In fact, the party seems to be on a life-support machine – barely surviving with all the attacks from various sources. Let’s not forget they burned Tan Sri Dr. Koh’s picture and effigy and his reaction was a muted one while others were up in arms over the incident.
If BN does give the position to UMNO, I believe Gerakan should dissolve and its members should join either PKR or DAP. There are some good people there and their resources should be put to good use for the betterment of the nation. There is no point in clinging on to a sinking ship, especially when it has no direction or future.
There is now another player in the picture. I wonder why.
Two weeks ago, former Gerakan vice-president Huan Cheng Guan gave the party an ultimatum which was to lift his suspension within 14 days or he would quit. He was suspended on June 29, a month after he threatened to quit Gerakan, citing disillusionment with the leadership for refusing to learn from its defeat to Pakatan Rakyat in the general election last year.
Yesterday, he announced that about 600 Gerakan members from the Machang Bubok division will be joining Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM)en bloc after dissolving the division Sunday. He expected more Gerakan members, who are disgusted with the present leadership, to leave the party soon.
PCM, which has an office in Prai, was registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) on Aug 6. Open to all races in Malaysia, PCM is chaired by 38 year old businessman Tang Weng Chew. It is reported HERE that PCM made a direct application to Putrajaya and was accordingly approved by the head office. Malaysiakinivisited the party’s registered address in Perai and found that it was a closed bistro.
Read more at: WHO GETS THE PEARL?
