Penang Gerakan chief Teng Hock Nan may be contesting in the next general election after earlier giving the impression that he may give way to the party's younger leaders.

When asked about his chances of standing for a seat, Teng said it was really up to the party members to decide his political fate.

NONE Teng ( left ), a former four-term assemblyperson, said if party members did not want him to participate, it would be "thick-skinned" of him to insist on taking part.

However he said it would be cowardly to say "no" if his party were to insist that he contest the coming 13th polls, which is not due till 2013 but which could be called as early as November.

"If nobody wants me, I will not contest. However, if my party members want me to, I cannot say no," he said, when met at Gerakan's dinner in Penang last night.

"A responsible leader cannot just run and hide when the party needs him," he added.

Teng told Star recently that the Gerakan is grooming second and third echelon leaders to lead the party in Penang.

In the report, he was quoted as saying that 16 of the 17 Penang BN coordinators from Gerakan were in their 30s or early 40s.

 Massive defeat

Following the party's massive defeat in Penang in 2008, Gerakan is struggling to get back on its feet, and has organised various activities to engage the public.

Teng has been asked to resign from leading the charge in Penang, which was once its stronghold, by former Gerakan leaders - Parti Cinta Malaysia vice president Heng Cheng Guan and Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng, currently a Kita member.

NONE His party president, Koh Tsu Koon, is facing a similar fate, and is currently battling efforts from within and outside the party to oust him from politics.

However, Gerakan leaders seem to be accepting the fact they may have to be in the political wilderness for at least another term, if Pakatan continues to helm Penang.

But after wallowing in defeat for "three-years, five months and 12 days" since the political Tsunami, Teng wants the members to rise from their comfort zones because it was no longer business as usual.

The former state executive member said party leaders must use their political wisdom to ride through the rough weather currently hitting Gerakan. If they could do that, the future belonged to the party, he told the 200 strong crowd in his speech at the event attended by Koh.

Teng reminded party comrades that the leadership in Penang experienced great challenges after its selection of coordinators in 17 areas following their defeat in 2008.

Those challenges led to the state party's emergency general meeting in October last year, where Teng was almost ousted but managed to retain his position by 71 votes.

He has risen above that storm and has been trying to salvage his political career by participating in the state's BN walkabouts organised weekly in several constituencies.

He has also been criticising the state government led by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for allegedly not providing low and medium cost houses for Penangites.

Teng, however, is aware that his public criticism of Lim, who is also the DAP national secretary, may attract brickbats from the public, who are still enamoured by the Pakatan Rakyat's three-year administration of the state.

"If I speak like this outside (criticising the state government), I will be booed. But that is a bad political culture," he said.

Teng, who is the former Pulau Tikus assemblyperson, then advised the party's leaders to go down to the grassroots to engage with the people.

He said Gerakan was down but not out, as the future belonged to the younger generation.

"We need to face the challenges ahead with patience, love and confidence," he added.