Dr Arsharuddin Ahmad failed in his bid to create party history in becoming the first Malay vice-president of Gerakan.

Based on unofficial results, incumbent Dr S Vijayaratnam and former Youth chief Mah Siew Keong won by a large margin to become two of the three elected vice-presidents.

gerakan agm ndc 111008 huan cheng guan Former central committee member and former Youth vice-chairman Huan Cheng Guan ( left ) also clinched the post following a close fight with Arsharuddin and party stalwart Lum Weng Keong.

Arsharuddin, 49, was the sole Malay candidate for the election of office bearers for the party's main body and according to unofficial count, came in fourth place.

Arsharuddin is the chief operating officer of the International College of Health Sciences and Selangor Gerakan committee member. He was tipped to win following Gerakan's desire to project a more multi-racial image in its line-up.

Not a proven leader yet

Approached by Malaysiakini , Huan said that Asharuddin’s failure to win the contest does not mean that Gerakan’s multiracial objectives were a failure.

“You can put up a candidate, but it doesn’t mean people will vote for him. People need to know what his track record is,” said Huan.

A delegate from Selangor told Malaysiakini that Asharuddin has not proven himself at state level, neither did he hold any junior national post before offering himself as a vice-presidential candidate.

“The vice-president's post is a heavy responsibility. Has he proven that he can handle it? The delegates vote on those terms,” said the delegate.

Commenting on Arsharuddin’s narrow loss, Mah said the results showed that the former performed well considering that it was a stiff fight involving nine candidates.

gerakan agm ndc 111008 chang ko youn “He only lost by a few votes. I don’t consider it a loss. He is a success since he is a new face and is accepted by the delegates,” he said.

Meanwhile, Perak Gerakan chief Chang Ko Youn ( right ) as expected won the deputy president's post beating Federal Territories Youth chief Ma Woei Chyi.

Speaking to reporters later, Chang said he would help the party president implement strategies that have been identified.

“This win is nothing to celebrate. In fact it is a heavy burden. Nevertheless, I wish to thank delegates who supported me,” he said.

'I'm not discouraged'

Met by reporters, Arsharuddin said he was not discouraged by the outcome of the contest and would still continue to serve the party.

gerakan ndc 2008 111008 arsharuddin ahmad "Everyone who won have a lot of experience. I lost by a slim margin, but it doesn't discourage me," he said.

Asked if the results reflected badly on the party's desire to become more multi-racial, Asharuddin replied, "that is debatable."

"Some people are going to say 'I told you so'. But I obtained quite a number of votes. This shows that many members think this (multi-racial approach) can work," he said.

Arsharuddin also admitted that he may have been lacking in his campaign and attributed it to his inexperience.