THE corruption scandals of Barisan Nasional that came to light one after another, and the true state of the country’s financial affairs which were revealed after May 9, were what finally drove Gerakan to leave its political partner of 46 years, a party veteran said.
Gerakan’s former national speaker, Dr Chin Fook Weng, said the party had always been “fiercely against corruption” and the many disclosures of BN practising graft and power abuse that came after the general election were difficult for it’s members to accept.
The revelations are mainly related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd as police in the days after the elections raided properties linked to former prime minister Najib Razak and discovered stashes of millions in cash and luxury items. But other examples of the previous government’s financial misconduct had also been revealed, along with the news that the country was RM1 trillion in debt.
It was all too much, said Chin, who is now the party national disciplinary committee chairman.
“All along we never knew the extent of things. After we saw all that, the grassroots were very disturbed,” he told The Malaysian Insight.
He said Gerakan had originally intended to wait until after new leaders were elected in its national party polls on November 17 to decide on the best plan for the party’s future, after it failed to win a single seat contested in the May 9 polls.
Gerakan contested 11 Parliament and 31 state seats in GE14 and lost them all.
“But things had become difficult. As more and more (scandals) were exposed, it became more untenable. Voices grew louder.
“Why are we still in, the members were asking. So, the party had to make the decision (to leave BN),” he said.
Chin was the only veteran Gerakan leader willing to talk about what had gone wrong for the party once thought of as the “intellectual” among the BN component parties, and what had led to its departure from the coalition that it joined in 1972, after starting life as an opposition party in 1968.
Others contacted, such as party vice-president and former deputy minister Chia Kwang Chye, declined to comment, while another veteran Dr Teng Hock Nan said there was “no point” to more talk, while former party leader and Penang chief minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon could not be reached.
BN had ruled Malaysia for six decades, during which time Gerakan prided itself on being the coalition’s “conscience” as well as its only multiracial component among mono-ethnic Umno, MCA and MIC.
Gerakan had found itself butting heads with other component members during those years, Chin said.
“We have always been a multiracial party that articulated our concerns and championed a fair and just society where every Malaysian is equally recognised.
“We have always been very Malaysian and fiercely against corruption. We spoke out every time something was not right. It put us at loggerheads with the others.
“At one time BN had 14 parties, each with its own agenda. It was hard to work together but we went on like that for over 40 years.”
Chin, who had been a senator, said the BN constitution provided for each component party to have three reps on the coalition’s supreme council.
“It meant that each party had equal voice in BN, but I don’t know what happened, over the years that Gerakan became submerged.”
He said Gerakan suffered in silence because it chose to handle problems quietly. It never openly criticised its BN colleagues so that the coalition could have a united front, and instead, went “knocking on doors” repeatedly, without creating any fanfare, to address and solve issues.
“We knocked on doors quietly. We opened many doors and resolved many issues but nobody knew about it because we could not claim credit.
“The people did not know what Gerakan was doing. They faulted us,” Chin said.
Like deputy Youth chief Andy Yong, Chin is inspired by rival DAP’s electoral success after repeated failures.
“We are hopeful. We are embarking on a long journey now.”
Chin said Gerakan had to undergo a rebranding exercise and elect the right leaders.
Though it does not have a seat in Parliament, it will still check on the new Pakatan Harapan government to ensure it serves the people well, he said.
The former associate professor admitted Gerakan lacked new talent, and that the party had not been able to recruit outstanding leaders, unlike PH parties.
DAP’s Dr Ong Kian Ming, the Bangi MP, who is expected to be made a deputy minister, had worked in Gerakan’s office in Serdang, years ago.
“We encouraged him to further his studies. But unfortunately, he went over to DAP when he returned from his studies.” – June 27, 2018.
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As for Dr Ong Kian Ming, good for him to have left.
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