Chinese educationists are now embroiled in this week's Gerakan election with one group urging presidential challenger Kerk Choo Ting not to play the 'Chinese Education' card.

Yesterday, Kerk's former colleagues in the Chinese education movement came out with a strong statement criticising him for manipulating the 'Chinese' tag to gain support for the coming party polls.

The statement was released by several Gerakan top guns including Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Dr Toh Kin Woon, Lum Weng Keong, Chua Chong An, Yoon Suan and Wu Guo Fang. All had previously served in Chinese education movements.

They stressed that the main issue in the coming party polls was leadership succession as party president Dr Lim Keng Yaik would retire in 2008 and that it was not a fight among Chinese educationists within Gerakan.

"However, some parties have been trying to twist the fact that there was infighting among Chinese educationists within Gerakan and that Keng Yaik and his supporters have been trying to intimidate them. This is only propaganda."

The group said they have a duty to set the record straight to party members as well as others outside the party.

They slammed Kerk, who is also Keng Yaik's deputy, for his disinterest in issues concerning Chinese education after becoming a deputy minister. Kerk is deputy minister for agriculture and agro-based industries.

"He did not agree to a dialogue with Dong Jiao Zong even when there were critical issues regarding Chinese education to discuss," they said.

Joined in 1982

They cited the controversy over the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English and recalled how Kerk tried to disassociate himself from the issue and disregard the views of the party's education bureau.

Kerk was among the group of Chinese educationists closely associated with the United Chinese School Committees' Association and the United Chinese School Teachers' Association, popularly known as Dong Jiao Zong who join Gerakan in 1982. Others in the group were Tsu Koon, Ong Tin Kim and Dr Kang Chin Seng.

Of the group who joined the party that year under the banner of 'Reform BN from Within', only Kerk and Tsu Koon are the prominent ones who remain active in politics.

Tsu Koon has been favoured by Keng Yaik to succeed him as the next Gerakan president. Tsu Koon has succeeded in clearing the first hurdle to be the next president after he was elected unopposed as deputy president at last Friday's nomination day for the part elections.

No relevance to national policy

Meanwhile, party's central committee member Dr Toh Kin Woon said that Kerk should not play up his background as a Chinese educationist as he has already distanced himself from the movement

"Kerk had contributed to the Chinese education movement in the past but recently, his stand in the movement has divorced him from the Dong Jiao Zong," Toh told malaysiakini adding that the battle between Kerk and Keng Yaik for the Gerakan presidency was not relevant to the Chinese education movement.

"We, as Chinese educationists who joined Gerakan together, have the responsibility to clarify the issue after Kerk highlighted his Chinese educationist background in his campaign," said Toh who is also Gerakan Penang liaison committee vice-chairperson.

Toh said for the party's leadership transition period, Keng Yaik should be given two more years at the party's helm. "But if Kerk has support from the ground, then we will know by this Saturday," he said.

He said that the contest between the two camps in the election had no relevance to national policies. "It is only a fight between two different types of leadership".