Gerakan will embark on a recruitment drive next year with the aim to achieve a party membership of 500,000 to boost the party's grassroots strength, said its president Dr Lim Keng Yaik today.

Among the ways to achieve the target is by increasing the minimum number of members from 50 to 100 for a branch and from 15 to 50 from Wanita and Youth branches, he said.

"We will make our party bigger by amending the constitution. It's time for us to recruit more younger and qualified members to do political work in the future," he told a press conference at the end of the party's two-day delegates conference this afternoon.

He said Gerakan currently has about 300,000 members.

Lim said the recruitment will be made easier with the party's electronic membership management and administration which was awarded the ISO 9001 certificate this year.

"As you know, Gerakan was confirmed to be the first political party to obtain any such ISO award by the Malaysia Book of Records. Gerakan is like cili padi small but influential," he said.

RM50 million donation

Lim also said the party will focus on the establishment of Universiti Wawasan, an institute of tertiary education aimed at providing for those interested in distance and on-line learning.

He said the party had received a donation of RM50 million and land from the Penang-based Yeap Chor Ee Charitable Trust for the development of Universiti Wawasan.

"The party will apply to the government for a licence to operate a university soon. Once established, the university will be governed by a board elected by the party-run Vision Education Foundation." he said.

"Philanthropists and educationists will be running the university. Gerakan's presence is minimum in the administration. We are only initiating and sponsoring it," he said.

The Gerakan chief also urged the party grassroots to help raise RM100 million for the purpose of developing Universiti Wawasan when winding up the party's annual meeting.

Summed up all views

In his speech, he said the party will do away with the tradition of adopting resolutions but will come up with a 10-point declaration instead.

"I have been in the party for 30 years and every year after resolutions are adopted, people go home and forget them. So this year we will have a declaration which summed up the views of the party leadership and delegates," he said.

The declaration, among others, states that educational policies in Malaysia should be "de-politicised and de-communalised" and that the party will reject all forms of "chauvinism, racial and religious extremism".

Meanwhile, Lim appointed former Wanita chief Kee Phaik Cheen as a central committee member. Kee failed in her bid to retain the post she held for 17 years and lost to challenger Rhina Bhar.