Gerakan deputy president Chang Ko Youn says dissolving BN component parties will be a first step in ending racial politics.

“As I have said earlier, racial politics is divisive and can do more harm than good in a multicultural society.

gerakan agm ndc 111008 chang ko youn “I urge BN component parties to reconsider their position and constitution by taking down the racial barriers and amending their rules (to allow) any Malaysian, regardless of his or her race, colour and religion, to be their member," said Chang ( right ).

He added that the Gerakan urges all BN component parties still confined to only one race amend their constitution to accommodate all Malaysians.

“In the long run, BN shall be a single party whereby all component parties are disbanded when all their members  become members of BN only.

“It would be a great leap forward for united Malaysian politics,” he said when delivering his policy speech at the party Youth and Wanita national delegates conference this morning.

Party Youth chief Lim Si Pin, meanwhile, did not mince his words when criticising the BN’s weighing scale symbol that he said appeared to be lopsided even within the coalition itself.

“Maybe we lost badly in the 2008 general election because BN does not seem to be fair,” he said, adding that most of the key positions in the BN committee are “dominated by one or two parties”.

“BN as a whole should set the policies, and not just one or two parties. In this country, some say our basic rights are still not right, like education and religion. Shouldn’t all parties be consulted in making decisions?” he asked.

'Don't postpone party polls'

Meanwhile, Lim ( below ) also urged the party not to follow Umno’s example of postponing party polls, calling the elections a “necessary renewal process” and likened it to a “full body examination”.

NONE “In (Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s) explanation, he already said that it (Umno’s polls postponement) was not because of snap elections. So Gerakan should just carry on with our own elections.

“It is a process to weed out dormant branches and divisions, and to encourage younger and more energetic leaders into the core. How would we know if our delegates are still active with the party if not for elections?

“So to reinvigorate and re-energise the party, we must look seriously into the party elections and not postpone it,” said Lim, who has already announced that he would not seek re-election.

Najib had recently announced that Umno would delay their party polls by 18 months to “strengthen the party”, arousing speculation that he may call for a snap general election.

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