BARISAN Nasional component party Gerakan appears to have rediscovered its political strength – embracing its opposition roots in its aim to serve Penang.

State Gerakan chairman Teng Chang Yeow does not suffer from delusions of grandeur; he and his comrades know well they cannot take back Penang, which was Gerakan’s stronghold from 1969 until March 2008, from the DAP.

Even though Gerakan has not conducted a proper survey on voters’ sentiment, the party is not “dreaming of the unachievable”, he said.

“Let’s face it. You can’t take back a state when you have zero seats,” Teng told The Malaysian Insight.

“Yes, some people may be unhappy with the DAP-led administration, but they are not going to vote for BN to change the government this time.”

Gerakan was formed in early 1968. It contested as an opposition party in the 1969 general election and won 16 out of 24 seats in Penang, which was previously controlled by MCA, an Alliance Party component.

Following internal conflicts, Gerakan joined the Alliance, which is now BN, in 1973 – becoming a member of the ruling coalition that ruled the federal government. It then enjoyed more than 30 years of power in Penang.

But the party suffered its biggest setback in the 2008 and 2013 polls when it failed to win a single state and parliament seat. Only Umno retained 11 state seats and two parliament seats in 2008, and then 10 state seats and three parliament seats in 2013.

In preparing for the 14th general election, Teng said Gerakan hoped to gather support from Penangites in becoming one of the strongest opposition voices to the state government.

Young leaders would be the frontliners for the party to give hope and show Penangites that Gerakan could be an effective opposition with strong understanding on how the government worked and how policies were made.

“We don’t oppose for the sake of opposing. We do present facts and reasonable arguments based on our understanding of the system,” he said.

In recent years, Penang Gerakan has been active in calling press conferences to highlight issues. There are at least one or two meetings with the press every week.

Among the young leaders being groomed and given exposure is Jason Loo, Penang Gerakan youth acting chief who has been highlighting issues concerning the state’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Enactment and other local problems.

He said Gerakan – on its own initiative and following complaints from the people – had been raising environment, land reclamation, housing, heritage, the increased development density, foreign workers’ village and other issues affecting citizens.

“We have to hit the ground running, work our socks off to show the public that Gerakan’s check-and-balance will benefit them.

“More people share their problems with us nowadays. When I met people from different backgrounds, they said I was doing the right thing. That is motivating,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Loo, a lawyer by training, said voters were getting upset that politicians were not taking people’s troubles and concerns seriously.

“We hope the people choose the right candidates based on what they fight for, not people who sow hatred,” he said.

Loo, who lost the Air Itam state seat to DAP in the last polls, admitted the reception was tougher online, where he faced abuse by social media users.

“There will always be some rude and irrelevant messages on Facebook, no matter how constructive I am in my press conferences on monitoring issues in the state,” he said.

Like all BN parties, Gerakan suffers criticism as the ruling coalition faces scandals and backlash over rising cost of living.

Considering the political climate, Teng, who also chairs Penang BN, admitted that it would continue to be an “uphill battle” in Penang.

“We will have to fight until we die,” he said. – April 16, 2017.