More optimism on general election
The Gerakan president is confident his party will score a breakthrough in Penang in the next GE.
IN the 2013 general election, Barisan National ironically failed to capture some constituencies where members of its component parties totalled more than 50% of the voters.
But Gerakan president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong believes this incongruous phenomenon might not be repeated in the coming general election (GE14).
Gerakan is a Barisan component party that was almost wiped out in the last two general elections. In 2008 and 2013, it lost control of its fortress Penang, the state it had ruled for 39 years from 1969 to 2008, to the DAP.
“There are less inter-party and intra-party conflicts currently. Unlike previously, the MCA and Gerakan can work together now. The inter-party relations of parties have improved,” says Mah, 56, in an interview.
Without reservations, he says: “Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (MCA president) and I have cooperated closely on many major issues. He has shown good leadership by getting us (Gerakan), MIC, SUPP, etc for discussions to come out with ideas whenever there is a need to do so.”
One example of MCA and Gerakan working together is seen in their joint opposition to the hudud Bill tabled by PAS in Parliament last year.
Indeed, the Chinese community was delighted to see MCA and Gerakan – two Chinese-based parties – working together for the good of the community and nation.
Set up in 1968, this multi-racial party used to be very powerful under the leadership of Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu and Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik. In the 2004 general election, Gerakan scored its best electoral result by winning 10 parliamentary and 30 state seats.
However, the party gradually lost its lustre in Umno’s shadow. In 2008, under the presidency of Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Gerakan posted its worst electoral defeat. It was denied Penang rule. In 2013, it lost all state seats in Penang again and won only one parliament seat.
Mah, who took over the helm of the party in late 2013, was given a rude shock in 2016 when for the first time, the president of Barisan and Umno did not attend Gerakan’s annual general meeting.
But these setbacks have not deterred the soft-spoken Mah, also the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, from trudging on. He has launched strategies to rejuvenate Gerakan.
This economics graduate from the London School of Economics and a lawyer by training believes Gerakan can break the “zero” curse in Penang.
Q: Gerakan and MCA seem to enjoy better relations now. What are the implications for BN in the general election?
A: There have been better relations at the top since I became president. Our previous presidents did not enjoy such rapport with MCA leaders. But at grassroots level, we still need to do more work.
I am happy to work with Liow. He is a good friend and leader whom I respect. He is doing a good job.
We cooperate on major issues affecting the community and country. Liow will call for discussions and we will jointly come out with ideas. Our closer relations will be positive for GE14.
As MCA and Gerakan can work closely together, we can gain more Chinese support. In GE13, BN only got 13% Chinese support. But now, surveys showed that BN can get about 30%.
In the last general election, due to inter-party and intra-party conflict, BN even lost in constituencies where members of the component parties formed over 51% of the voters. In this coming election, we have to overcome conflicts within the coalition parties.
> What is your take on GE14, with issues such as the costs of living, 1MDB and corruption keep emerging?
Many parties are at a crossroad. It’s going to be very tough as we are facing many challenges.
For Gerakan, we fared very badly in 2008 and 2013. To have zero state seat in Penang in two consecutive elections was a real setback.
But since 2013, we have taken a lot of steps to rejuvenate the party. We have also come out with a strategy not only to serve the people, but also to win elections.
We have appointed “coordinators”, who are potential candidates to contest in GE14, in 45 state and parliamentary seats allocated to Gerakan previously. These people will look after their areas and get to know the voters. In this way, internal squabbling on candidacy is sorted out early. The focus is to win the election.
We have told our “coordinators” not only to service the voters, but also to win their hearts and minds.
I have to acknowledge that our publicity is not that good. We were weak in cyberspace in the last two elections. This time, many workshops have been organised to train our “coordinators” to use social media to counter the lies.
One example was the fake story of BN bringing in 40,000 Bangladeshis to vote in the last election. I am concerned about the tactics that will be used by some people to influence the results of the coming election.
> Will Gerakan be allocated 45 seats again?
We are negotiating this within BN. I am confident we can get back most of the seats. Component parties are also discussing on swapping seats to enhance winning chances.
Gerakan has submitted a list of candidates to the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) for screening. We will only field “clean” candidates.
> Will Gerakan fare better in GE14?
We will do better than previously. BN as a whole will also do better.
I have officiated delegates’ conference in eight states. In each, I looked into the eyes of our grassroots leaders. They are more confident than before. There is no fear in them but enthusiasm to explain to voters in coffeeshops why we should be given a chance.
> What is your chance in Teluk Intan?
It’s 50-50. Teluk Intan (parliamentary constituency) will remain a challenge. Although I won the by-election in 2014, it was by a slim majority of 238.
I lost the seat in the 2013 general election by 7,313 votes. We need to turn over the defi- cit. We can’t use the by-election as a gauge.
But from the reaction of the voters, I believe many are behind me.
We have carried out a lot of development in the area, with a new university coming up. We have done welfare work for the lower income and aged. We are also solving flood problems. When the West Coast Expressway is ready next year, there will be vast improvement in connectivity and there will be more tourists visiting the town.
I have been meeting the local people and attending their functions to get their feedback. My main role is to ensure development projects in Teluk Intan are on track.
> What will happen if you lose in Teluk Intan?
I will have to take responsibility. I will have to step down as Gerakan president. But I will continue to serve the party as a member.
You cannot be a president of a party and not get the people’s mandate. It’s untenable to be party president under such circumstances.
> Compared to other BN parties, Gerakan is less visible. Why?
We want to be a solution-based party and not part of the problem. That’s why Gerakan does not shout a lot.
By reading messages in the WhatsApp groups, I sensed that issues are seen along racial lines. There is a trust deficit which is not good for this multi-racial country.
It is easy to be a hero if you shout along racial lines, but we in Gerakan are “Malaysian first”. Hence, we don’t hit the headlines.
Our job is to bring people together, not to become part of the problem.
Now Malaysians are politicising almost every issue. This is not healthy. Investment from China is politicised and made to look racial. If foreign investments stop coming, our country will suffer.
When we talk about TN50 (Transformasi Nasional 2020-2050), it should not be just about economic vision and development. By 2050, I hope BN will be a single multi-racial party.
> Will Gerakan or BN retake Penang?
Penang is a big challenge but BN will definitely do better in GE14.
We are confident we will break the zero mark. Even MCA, MIC and Umno will do better in Penang in this election.
The reasons? The people of Penang want more check-and-balance, particularly in environment issues and accountability.
In addition, some leaders of the state government are very arrogant. Many people in Penang are accusing the present state government of taking the people’s support for granted.
> When is the right time to hold GE14?
I prefer GE14 to be held soon. There has been too much politicking by the opposition on almost all issues. The country should hold the election soon and return its focus to nation-building work.