Tan Lian Hoe has won the Gerakan Wanita chief post after beating rival Surin Leong by 218 votes today.

Tan, who is the party's Perak Wanita chief, polled 348 votes while Leong, who heads the Federal Territory wing, garnered 130 votes. There were three spoilt votes.

Tan is aligned to party president Dr Lim Keng Yaik while Leong openly supported presidential challenger Kerk Choo Ting.

The Wanita chief post fell vacant after incumbent Rhina Bhar decided to contest for vice- presidency which will be held together with the presidential elections tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the wing's deputy chief post was won by Yong Dai Ying with 376 votes beating her contender Leong Kan Yuet, who received 100 votes. Five out of the 481 votes cast were spoilt. Turnout was registered at 56.7 percent of the total 896 delegates.

For the party Youth wing's three vice-chairperson positions, Azmar Mohd Ilias, Eng Gaik Hong and Chin Nyuk Chin won uncontested. Twelve Wanita central committee members were also returned unopposed.

'No confidence'

At a press conference immediately after the results were announced, Tan said she will not quit the party should Kerk being elected as a new party president.

"Lim asked me in 2000 who I preferred as the party's leader. I told him if Kerk is elected, I will quit the party. I said that in 2000, not in the context of this election," she said, adding that she would retract her statement if this had created any misunderstanding.

"Whoever is elected tomorrow, I won't quit the party [...] whoever is elected as president, I will work with him," she said, adding that as the party's interests come first, she had to work with Kerk even she has 'no confidence in him'.

Tan pledged Wanita's support for Lim to continue as party president and urged the Wanita delegates to vote in Rhina Bhar as one of the three vice-presidents.

Asked on the low turnout for the election, Tan said she understood that many delegates were 'overseas or working' and she would look into the problem before the next party elections.

Meanwhile, Tan's defeated contender, Leong, told reporters that she would continue to serve the party and the women's wing in her capacity as the Federal Territory state chief and central committee member.

"I will remain in Gerakan [...] I will not quit the party. Elections are just part of the process and I accept the decision of the delegates," she said, adding that she will work with Tan.

Fizzled out

Leong refused to comment on the factors that contributed to her defeat.

On whether the delegates' choice for the women's wing chief would have any bearings on Kerk's chances tomorrow, she replied: "I don't want to speculate on Kerk's chances [...] the parent body and women's wing are separate."

The party's Youth wing elections fizzled out after several candidates withdrew their nomination papers following negotiations.

Incumbent Youth chief Mah Siew Keong and deputy chief Lim Si Pin, the only son of the party president, won their posts unchallenged during nomination day.

In his opening speech, Mah ( photo ) called on the government to practice transparency in the awards of contracts so as "to reduce suspicion, rumours and discontent" among the public.

Mah said that Gerakan Youth would like the government to strictly implement an open tender system and only those who can fulfill the necessary conditions be given such contracts.

He also urged the government to clamp down on those government officers who abuse their power.

Mah also urged the Public Service Department to review its mechanism in the provisions of government scholarships to make the process more transparent and meritocractic.

On economic policy, Mah said the government should establish a third national economic consultative committee with members comprising those from political parties, NGOs, business, as well as youth and woman bodies.

Following the elections, both the Youth and the women wings proceeded with their closed-door debates on the presidential address.