Fissures in Gerakan over quit PN threat?

Gerakan deputy president Oh Tong Keong’s threat to quit Perikatan Nasional appears to have created cracks within the party which is struggling to remain relevant in national politics.

Youth wing secretary-general chief Andy Tan questioned if the number two had received greenlight from the top leadership before making the statement.

“Is the statement his personal stance or the stance of the party? Because to my knowledge, no leader within our party has mentioned this in any meeting so far.

“Oh is not an ordinary member… He holds the significant position of deputy president. Therefore, his remarks carry weight, and I cannot help but ask, did he receive approval from the party leadership to make such a statement?” he asked in a Facebook post.

Tan, who “strongly disagreed” with quitting the coalition but is willing to abide if the party decided to do so, also asked if Oh had raised the matter for discussion in the PN supreme council.

“Or does he have another agenda?” he asked.

Describing the deputy president’s remarks as “serious” and having “affected the relationship” among the component parties, Tan hoped to get a clearer picture regarding the party’s direction.

Friendly fire

Following PAS’ response to the controversy surrounding the fundraiser for Chinese vernacular schools, Oh said Gerakan would not hesitate to leave if its allies continued to display religious extremism and infringe on the rights of non-Muslims.

The deputy president said Gerakan remained committed to supporting the fundraising efforts, which landed in the spotlight due to the involvement of a brewery.

Following this, PAS leaders made it clear that no tears would be shed for Gerakan if it chose to exit the coalition.

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, who is also the PN election director, chided Gerakan for “not respecting” the Malays and Islam in Malaysia.

“You are welcome to leave. That is Sanusi’s comment. Everyone must respect them, but they don’t respect us… You don’t expect just the Malays to respect you (all the time).” he said.

Gerakan president Dominic Lau has not responded to Malaysiakini’s queries regarding the matter.

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