Only a day away from its most controversial emergency general meeting, Gerakan delegates are still debating whether they require a two-thirds or a simple majority for a no-confidence vote to remove the party’s Penang chief Teng Hock Nan.

NONE The decision by Chang Ko Yuan ( right ), the EGM’s presiding chairperson and party deputy chief, to require a two-thirds majority in tomorrow’s EGM did not go down well with some delegates.

Gerakan state Youth vice-chief H’ng Khoon Leng argued that according to international convention, a motion of no-confidence is carried by a simple majority, and urged Chang, who is the party’s deputy chairperson, to immediately “revisit” his decision.

“I believe we would be the first in the world to create a precedent of carrying a motion of no-confidence with a two-thirds majority; I hope Gerakan will not set such an unsavoury precedent,” H’ng said in a statement today.

H’ng further stated that Chang’s decision was opposed as it was based on an assumption that if the no-confidence motion is carried, then the office bearer is automatically removed, forced to resign or sacked.

He said it was “an erroneous assumption”, saying that it is the office bearer’s decision whether to vacate the elected post voluntarily should the motion be carried.

 

“It depends on the moral fibre of the office bearer whether to resign voluntarily or not,” said H’ng.

NONE “For an individual who has lost a no-confidence vote, he would have lost his moral authority to lead or perform his duties in his organisation. But, he can choose to defy this at his own peril,” he added.

Teng ( left ), who is facing a massive leadership crisis in Penang that precipitated the EGM, has however said he was ready to quit if the motion was passed.

Erroneous assumptions

Yesterday, Chang had backed his call by citing Article 46 of the party constitution that requires a two-thirds majority in removing an office bearer either at an ordinary or extraordinary general meeting.

“Thus, a majority of two-thirds is required to pass the motion of no-confidence against the state chairperson who is removed from office by sacking or resignation if such a motion is passed,” Chang, who is also advisor to the Perak menteri besar.

NONE In other words, tomorrow’s EGM needs at least 50 votes or two-thirds of those in attendance on the day to vote for Teng’s removal.

 

H’ng ( left ) argued that Chang’s assumption that the vote of no-confidence would automatically result in removal or resignation was erroneous and had led him to wrongly rely on the Article.

He conceded that Article 46 is a substantive procedural provision in the party’s constitution that states the requirements for the removal of an office bearer.

 

However, he said that the petitioners of the no-confidence motion by choice did not use this provision but used instead Article 73, that outlines the steps to be taken in the case where an EGM is called.

'Up to Teng'

Meanwhile during a press conference in Penang today, Yeap Ban Choon, coordinator of a lobby group for party reform GerakLAH Gerakan, urged Chang not to "confuse delegates" by invoking Article 46.

gerakan egm 091010 yeap ban choon Yeap, who represents 'voices of the grassroots' who mostly come from Penang, said the EGM was called based on Article 73 to cast a vote of no confidence against Teng.

"We just want to have a vote of no confidence against Teng, nothing else. We are not asking for (his) removal... That is the interpretation of some quarters", said Yeap ( left ).

"His removal is up to Teng himself, especially after seeing the results of the EGM," he added.

Yeap said he expected a high turn out at the event tomorrow, especially after developments within the party since the EGM was confirmed.

He specifically mentioned the fiery outburst of former party president Lim Keng Yaik, who hurled several accusations againt current chief Koh Tsu Koon.

Among other labels, Koh was called an "ostrich" and Lim, who has since quit his post as party advisor, also criticised the former for allowing Gerakan to "go to the dogs" under his leadership since 2007.