TAN Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon turned 62 yesterday and he looked fit and even rather young for his age. ...... A day earlier, ... at a dinner in a Kuala Lumpur hotel.
The sign on the stage read, “Malam Penghargaan Media Senator Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon” but some of those invited had thought they were going for a buka puasa event whereas several of the Gerakan politicians present thought it was their party president’s birthday party.
Not many media people could make it and even fewer of his Gerakan colleagues turned up. But his vice-president Datuk Mah Siew Keong and secretary-general Teng Chang Yeow were there, looking rather lost in the mixed crowd.
..... His leadership position in the party and the Government is being questioned and he is doing all he can to hold on to power. He is out to reach out to his party folk, the media and perhaps even the people out there.
Last weekend, the party threw a dinner for members at its Jalan MacAlister headquarters in Penang. It was themed “Malam Mesra Parti Gerakan” and even though it was a Chinese course dinner, fewer than 200 people turned up.
Dr Koh does not go back to Penang very often these days and his dinner appearance was considered a rare opportunity to meet him and hear him out. The Penang members knew their president has been under siege and they were keen to know how he intends to fight back.
Everyone thought he would use the occasion to reassure the party and blast at his opponents. To their disappointment, he seemed more interested in setting the record straight on his 18-year track record in Penang and defending the policies and projects he had implemented as Chief Minister. They had heard it all before.
Besides, this was a Penang crowd and they were more than aware of the developments in the state and it did not make sense to tell them what they already knew.
A journalist covering the event noted: “There were no guns blazing. He was quite defensive, the strongest word he used on the current Chief Minister was ‘crafty’. That is not what I call attacking.”
.......
Two days later, he was back in Penang to chair the state Barisan Nasional meeting. Again, there was a big media turnout, including the TV stations, waiting outside the meeting room. Unfortunately, he was not feeling talkative and declined to take questions, resulting in one journalist telling him: “Tan Sri, you ask us for support, but how can we help you if you are like this?”
Three years after the political tsunami, Dr Koh is again big news in Penang although for all the wrong reasons. His problem is that he is still an issue in Penang after all this time.
To compound matters, he has also become an issue of sorts in his own party. Members compare their party to the Barisan’s other parties and they are not happy with their own lack of progress. The blame has landed squarely on Dr Koh’s head and this is what he is struggling with.
The petty arguments over the aborted Penang Hill project and his 18 years as Chief Minister are all sideshows which he should not be distracted by.
Six states have completed their delegates meetings and tomorrow will be Malacca’s turn. The rumbling on the ground is undeniable. At several of these meetings, members have spoken frankly about the problems they are facing, they do not see changes in the party and they are concerned whether the leadership has what it takes to save the party.
They do not demand that their president resign but they are impatient that he has not made full use of his status as a president who is also a minister. That is basically the underlying sentiment of the majority of the state delegates meetings.
Only Kedah seemed delighted with him and state chairman Dr Cheah Soon Hai had enthusiastically endorsed Dr Koh’s leadership.
His position in the party is quite safe. No one is prepared to take him on for the presidency and there are no moves to move an EGM to topple him.
Members are not up to the task of requisitioning an EGM because the Gerakan constitution requires the approval of 50% of the members for an EGM. Moreover, they want to avoid an ugly contest in these critical times.
The sentiment in the party is that he should remain a minister and president for now.
But they feel he should not contest the next general election and that he must decide soon and announce it so that the message will sink in among the old guard at the state levels. Otherwise, the old timers will also not let go and they will pull the party down with them.
There is also the idea that the party should field mainly candidates who are less than 50 years old. That way, they will have little baggage and they can project a new and fresh image for the party.
“Promoting younger leaders and new blood is the way forward. It would put the party on a strong moral high ground to face the elections,” said a national party leader.
Party leaders say Dr Koh is fully aware of the sentiments but has chosen not to address them, preferring instead to lash out at “outsiders” for interfering in the party.
But the ball is in his court and it depends on how he kicks it. He still has a chance to score a goal.
Read full text at http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=joceline&file=/2011/8/27/columnists/joceline/9379291&sec=Joceline
No comments:
Post a Comment