Partyless Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Raymond Tan Shu Kiah has decided to join Gerakan, ending months of speculation as to the direction of his political future.

raymond tan Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon announced this morning in Kota Kinabalu that Tan ( left ) (Tanjong Papat assemblyperson) and Au Kam Wah (Elopura state assemblyperson) will submit their membership application forms soon.

According to Bernama , Koh made the announcement minutes before Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s arrival for the meet-the-people session at the Padang Merdeka in Kota Kinabalu.

aw kam wah Tan and Au (right) were members of the Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp), which was a former Barisan Nasional component in Sabah.

However, Sapp pulled out of the coalition last Sept 17, citing a loss of confidence in the government of then premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Tan, who was allowed to keep his state cabinet post despite severe criticism , had been hinting of a move to another party since then.

In recent days, speculation mounted that he would join Gerakan and be appointed the state vice-president, although he was also being courted by Sabah MCA.

Tan was deputy president of Sapp, while Au was the Youth chief until their departure from the party amidst much acrimony.

Gerakan now has eight elected reps

Their decision to join Gerakan will give the party two addditional state seats - bringing its total tally to six. The party also holds two parliamentary seats.

gerakan parliament and state seat 050509 In last year's general election, Gerakan contested 12 parliamentary seats and 31 state seats, but only bagged two parliamentary and four state seats - all in the peninsula.

Gerakan, a multi-racial party in the Barisan Nasional coalition, has been unable to make inroads in Sabah up to now.

There was a proposal for the party to form a partnership with Parti Bersatu Sabah in the 1980s but that did not take place.

Koh said that both Tan and Au would soon be handing over their application forms to Gerakan.

"We welcome their commitment to join Gerakan. Raymond and Au have been my friends and Gerakan's friends for over 15 years and have jointly struggled for Sabahans and Malaysians in general within the BN," he said.

According to the Gerakan chief, Najib - who is also BN chairperson - and Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman, had been told of the duo’s decision.

Tan is expected to be appointed a Gerakan vice-president while Au could be named a supreme council member.

Meanwhile, Tan said he and his supporters had found “a safe home” in Gerakan.

"I didn't do it just because I picked what I like. I think it's more of what the grassroots want. It doesn't matter what happens to me. What is important is the people who have been with me and I told that I would find them a home.

"It's not easy because we have to talk to so many component party leaders and all of them are very supportive of me. I think this is the time that I have to make a decision and Koh is no stranger to us for many years," he said.

It is likely that Tan, who received staunch support from Musa despite demands for him to quit the state cabinet, will remain in his deputy chief minister and state infrastructure development minister posts.

Demands for his removal

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), another BN component party, has been stringent in calling for Tan’s resignation.

Late last month, the LDP supreme council unanimously passed a resolution demanding his ouster because he no longer belongs any party in the BN ruling coalition.

Tan, however, was unperturbed.

"These people who make statements against me or who are angry with me will probably continue to do but it doesn't matter. I understand their feelings but it's more important that they understand me".

LDP has also sought the removal of suspended Sabah Umno Youth chief Japlin Akin from the state cabinet.

Japlin, who is serving a three-year suspension from Umno membership for vote buying, is Tan’s deputy in the Infrastructure Development Ministry. He was detained for three days for questioning last month by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

LDP would however leave it to the Umno leadership to decide Japlin’s fate.