There is speculation that Tian Chua could not retain his vice-president's post in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) because the party wants to attract more professionals into its fold.

However, the politician, who has since been appointed information chief, dismissed this as strange and nonsensical.

"I hold a masters degree, am I not professional enough?" asked a puzzled Chua when met recently.

The grapevines have it that the party's discomfort does not surround his academic background but rather his aggressive 'street-wise' politics.

Chua, whose political career took off amid the street demonstrations following the sacking of ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim in 1998, is well-known for his steely defiance of the authorities during that period.

According to one observer, some have even called him'Tiananmen Tian' in memory of how he sat on the street to prevent a convoy of police trucks from moving towards the demonstrators.

The slim and bespectacled Chua had refused to budge even when sprayed with a jet stream of chemical- laced water, forcing several police personnel to drag him away.

'It's nonsense'

Ticked off by the speculation, the PKR leader said: "If the speculation is from so-called political observers, then I would tell them to go back to university to study again from the beginning.

"It's really nonsense. If the party wants to portray itself as a professional party and I am seen as not professional, so why have they chosen me as information chief?" he asked.

In PKR's December elections , Chua had decided not to contest and this, according to observers, was done to pave the way for cardiologist Dr.Lee Boon Chye (left), who was seen as more professional

Commenting further, Chua said PKR has not intentions to portray itself as an exclusive party for professionals.

"PKR offers a good vehicle for the professionals but we have a lot of grassroots supporters too ... I don't think we just want to have professionals," he added.

Bigger role

Meanwhile, Lee, who also refuted the speculation, said that Chua had taken the initiative to make him contest for the vice-presidency.

"He (Chua) had nominations from 90% of the divisions. It's very clear that he has the support from the party and I wouldn't have won if he had contested," he said when contacted.

He insisted that Chua "plays a bigger and more functional role" now in conveying the party's message to the public.

"Both of us play different roles in the party. I think his responsibility is even heavier now. It's not fair to say he is not professional as you know he's a masters degree holder," he added.

Bridging the gap

Regarding his new portfolio, Chua said the most urgent task for him as information chief is to narrow the gap between the party and masses.

"The key challenge now is that there's a very big gap between us and the public. Our activities and information have not been known as we are unable to reach out to them," he noted.

He said the party will devise 'creative methods' to propagate its messages since the reality is that the media in Malaysia is controlled."

According to him, PKR will also diversify its activities to attract more youngsters.

"We will have concerts, competitions and other forms of activities for the youngsters to participate and express themselves," he said.

Apart from these, he said the information bureau will facilitate and coordinate the feedback gathered from society to have counter proposals for the current government's policies.