Gerakan Youth chief Lim Si Pin today announced that he will not defend his post, nor contest any other positions, at the end of his tenure next year.

He said he made this decision in the interest of the party and to stop rampant speculation over his ascension to the presidency.

“It is these kinds of conspiracy theories surrounding party members, all this talk of creating dynasties... If they don’t stop, how are we to encourage young people to join us?

NONE “A lot of damage has been done to the party, so the best solution is for me to get out of the equation,” he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Si Pin was responding to press reports that there was covert attempts to remove party president Koh Tsu Koon by his predecessor Lim Keng Yaik.

Keng Yaik, who is Si Pin's father, has publicly lashed out at Koh for being a indecisive " ostrich " and that Gerakan had " gone to the dogs " under the latter's leadership.

Critics have claimed that Keng Yaik was launching a calculated strike at Koh, taking advantage of the Penang party crisis , in order to topple him and pave way for Si Pin's ascension. 

Si Pin slams newspapers

Si Pin however stressed that his decision is not a sign of protest against the party leadership, repeating that he simply wants to put an end to the dynasty speculations.

Breaking away from his usual laidback demeanour, Si Pin hit out at the Chinese media, particularly China Press , for publishing allegedly inaccurate and misleading reports on the party’s internal imbroglio.

“ China Press today said I will resign to pave the way for me to go for deputy president. How did they get that information? They didn’t ask me. I am not interested to become the president, the deputy president or the secretary-general.

“There is no Lim Dynasty, no Party of the Prince, no paving of the way for me,” he said, while holding up a copy of the China Press front page report.

Citing the Tao Teng Sing Tung (anti-Teng Hock Nan campaign) and Ba Gen Sing Tung (anti-Koh campaign), coined by the Chinese media, Si Pin said that such slogans was highly detrimental to the party.

“ Tao Teng means throw away the nail, but the Teng means Teng Hock Nam. Ba Gen means uproot, Gen happens to be Tsu Koon, which means pull him out and chuck him away. This is not good for the party and you are making a mockery of us again,” he said.

Agents out to destroy Gerakan

Si Pin pointed out however that the Chinese media are not entirely to blame for the bad press Gerakan has been getting over the past couple of weeks, claiming that there are groups of people actively spreading rumours to destroy the party.

He refused to identify who he thought were the rumour-mongers, saying only that these people do exist.

azlan “If I say they are from within the party, a lot of people will get angry and if I say from without, I don’t have proof, but suffice to say there are irresponsible people who are spreading these rumours with ulterior motives, to destroy the party,” he said.

He also spoke out in defence of his father, Keng Yaik, who recently quit as party advisor, saying that the elder Lim could not accept the fact that the party leadership was unable to snuff out the fire that led to the extraordinary general meeting in Penang Gerakan this weekend.

“He resigned due to the fact that for 40 years, Gerakan had never had an EGM and as advisor, that is a big blow to him. The central leadership could not call off the EGM, and that saddens him,” he said.

Si Pin also backed up his father’s “ostrich” label, which he slapped on Koh, saying the president has been chasing after the wrong priorities.

“I fully agree that as president, he should solve the fire in his own house rather than go and attend a wedding at the neighbours house,” he said, referring to Koh’s initial plan to attend MCA’s annual general meeting, which is slated to be held on the same day as Penang Gerakan’s EGM.

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