Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon today brushed aside questions on whether Senator T Murugiah would be joining the party soon.

koh tsu koon pc 300409 Koh was posed with the question after a unity department function in Port Dickson, as part of the ongoing Bagan Pinang by-election campaign.

"Please wait. If there is news (of this), I will let you know," said the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department who heads the unity department portfolio.

Koh was responding to a Bernama report which stated that Murugiah, a former PPP leader, would be joining a peninsular-based party next month.

The report also claimed that Murugiah was offered the post of deputy president by the peninsular-based party.

Based on this report, it is deduced that Murugiah was heading to Gerakan, which has a vacant vice-president post.

Murugiah denies report

Sources however indicated that Murugiah is more likely to join a East Malaysia-based party with significant amount of members working in peninsular Malaysia.

bagan pinang 041009 murugiah isa Murugiah, who was sitting next to Koh during the press conference, was seen smiling during the exchange but did not address the press.

In May, Murugiah was sacked from PPP but held on to his deputy minister post in the Prime Minister’s Department.

At an earlier function today, Murugiah denied the report, adding that he would decide on his next course of action after consulting supporters and the Barisan Nasional leadership.

"I said a BN component party, but I did not specify where. They might have assumed that it was in the peninsular," he said.

Koh removes ministerial crest

Meanwhile, Koh told reporters of an 'harrowing' experience during the nomination process yesterday, when his vehicle was surrounded and taunted by opposition supporters while on the way to the nomination centre.

According to Koh, his driver was forced to stop at a nearby petrol station in order to remove the official ministerial crest on his vehicle in order to avoid detection.

"They shouted at us and booed us. They said all sorts of things... we decided to stop at a petrol station to let things cool off... Thank god, the rain came. Everybody dispersed," he said.

"At the time, I was a bit worried because they looked aggressive," he added.