Outspoken Gerakan vice-president Huan Cheng Guan has been slapped with a three-year membership suspension with immediate effect.

huan cheng guan gerakan penang pc event 150609 03 Contacted today, Huan decried that he was a victim of “political persecution”.

Huan said he was informed about the suspension through an email by party secretary-general Teng Chang Yeow this morning.

The decision was made during the party’s central working committee last night in which Huan was not invited.

“The decision is very harsh. The leadership should have considered my past contributions,” Huan, who is former Batu Kawan parliamentarian.

He said that he was not in a rush to make a decision whether to appeal or quit the party.

Late last month, Huan threatened to quit Gerakan over dissatisfaction with certain party leaders.

His outburst resulted with the party leadership issuing a show-cause letter, to which he reportedly replied on June 14.

On that same day, Huan publicly reaffirmed his allegiance to Gerakan, but rumours continue to swirl over his possible defection to PKR.

Should this happen, Huan will join a growing list of credible Gerakan leaders to have deserted the party since March 2008.

Others include Gerakan stalwarts former deputy secretary-general Lee Kah Choon, former central committee member Toh Kin Woon, former federal territories chief Tan Kee Kwong and former women’s chief Rhina B har.

Gerakan explains suspension

Meanwhile, in a press statement, Teng said that Huan was disciplined for “conduct prejudicial to the interest of the party, by openly attacking the party and its leadership, declaring his resignation and threatening to bring his supporters out of the party”.

Teng said that Huan’s remarks were especially uncalled for because he and some grassroots leaders were apparently upset over a relatively minor issue - the appointment of a party coordinator in one parliamentary constituency in Penang.

He added that Huan should have used internal party channels to voice his grouses instead of lashing out at the party through the media.

“Worse still, there were evidences that he instigated his supporters to hang banners and was even reported to have contacted the opposition.

“Such excessive negative behaviour was not acceptable. Moreover, this was not the first time that he had made rather rash utterances in the press, though not as serious.

“The president had personally warned and reprimanded him. But this time, he committed an even more severe misbehaviour,” said Teng.

Teng said some CWC leaders had mooted even heavier penalties, but given that Huan had publicly apologised to the party president and the party, a suspension would suffice.

Huan now has 14 days to appeal the suspension.