Taken from The Sun
Transcript of press conference by Gerakan's Lim, Koh
Transcript of press conference by Gerakan president Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik and incoming deputy president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon on Monday, Aug 22, in Penang.
Koh: The president briefed party leaders and delegates about the forthcoming party elections and what we highlighted is the fact that the Gerakan Reinventing for 21st Century Agenda is in place.
It was the result of intensive consultation, brainstorming among party leaders, central committee members and all elected reps, MPs and state assemblymen. And this is the ongoing programme that is being implemented by the party. We had talks about our roles, mission in national scene, national policies, stating our objectives and how we want to realise Vision 2020 which is in accordance with our party ideology as well as outlining all projects that have been implemented. This is actually not a manifesto for election but it is a programme for the party as a result of teamwork and this is what we emphasise, teamwork.
Teamwork is the most important basis for the party to work together,and the members of the team have been very working closely and that is the essense of the spirit of Gerakan, teamwork.
I want to emphasise this, it's not a personal manifesto but a result of teamwork led by Keng Yaik as the president. That's why the team which constitute the central committee members and also elected state chairman, state leaders, had generally overall overwhelmingly contributed to this process of teamwork. On this basis, we expressed our strong support for Keng Yaik for another term as the party president. The delegates had also asked questions to clear doubts, we have also explained that we have held a process of consultation amongst the team and through some members of the team as well as leaders inside and outside the party to Kerk (Choo Ting) over the last few months with myself also holding discussions and consultations with him personally.
But unfortunately, we have not been able to reach any agreement and one reason he said is that because he is left with only two choice. Either challenging the president, he is forced to challenge the president, or to retire. We have offered the third option which is national advisor, and he said insisted that because national advisor is not a post stated in the party constitution, he cannot accept it. I think that is not correct because we have a precedent, we had a convention and in fact there is a tradition, there is only once in the party history the most respected leader, when he retired, he was appointed as the national advisor, not through the party constitution but through a resolution unanimously passed by the national delegates conference. And that is very strong support instead of having a post called national advisor in the constitution. Because national advisor as a post in the constitution, you must always have it.
But in Gerakan, we have only Chong Eu as national advisor for ten years. He accepted the post although it was not in the constitution because it was a special honour, passed only by the national delegates conference and he served for 10 years until he retired from politics or just before he retired from politics. If there is a post called national advisor in the constitution, it means after Chong Eu retired, we had to appoint somebody else. Then it is not special, not something very special, it's like any other post in the constitution. So I think he misunderstood it, although we have actually explained it to him. This was explained that this was the process and yet he still insisted that it's not in the constitution and therefore he's left with no choice.
I hope that he would still reconsider because it is something very special and when this was suggested to him, it was in the context that it was in acordance with a convention and the tradition which only happened once before in the history of Gerakan. I think this point is very important.
Keng Yaik: I am sure the press is looking forward for me to reply but I must say Dr Koh has summarised well in the sense that I don't have a personal manifesto. The manifesto that I will be implementing is a manifesto decided by the party and it is ongoing... it provides the political reform within the party, promote healthier political culture in the Gerakan, enhances Gerakan's contribution to national education and economic policies, promote and foster closer rapport with leaders and partners in BN... all inside here, I was just reading Kerk's manifesto. I'm reading his manisfesto --strengthen the party's research arm and foster closer cooperation and relationship with NGO, all these are inside here.
Koh: This is actually published more than a year ago and being implemented now
KY: Ini manifesto ada dalam party yang mana. Saya sudah cakap, saya tiada manifesto. Ini party punya, dan I think I must thank the delegates that the issue that the delegates conference face today was to decide the successor of the party. The delegates have decided whether it is through the opinions and views expressed by the various states in the last two months but now culminating in that Koh won uncontested as the new deputy president of the party. He is therefore the successor of the party, so it is my responsibility to ensure a smooth succession is brought about. That's why 2007 is the timing of the handover of the successorship, handover of the presidency of Gerakan will be done in 2007. So Kerk says that "if I am elected I will implement the nine year tenure system, I will not stay more than three terms". By standing, he is not accepting Koh as successor of the party. By standing, even he wins, he still wants to go on for not more than three terms. If he is willing to deliver the successorship to Koh within this term, why do you want to stand for president.
Why you want to stand as president for only two years? Why he want to stand? We are already in the process of putting up the successorship and this is Gerakan's way of arranging a smooth handover of the leadership of the party, and not go for elections and ping ping pong pong and hot campaign and all that kind of thing and so, there's contradiction on what he wants to do and what is in his manifesto.
I don't want to criticise because we are not participating in a war, we are only going through an election in the party. So the other aspect is he said he wants three terms, he is not going to stay more than nine years, we already decided that Koh Tsu Koon in 2005 is the successor and we have to hand it over to him as soon as possible.
My good friend says he wants to if he wins, he will lead the party for nine years, by the time, I don't know whether Koh Tsu Koon will have the strength anymore to take over the party. Why is it important that we must arrange for a succession. Yes, he said in his press statement Lim Keng Yaik's on and off, on and off decision to retire and in the end, not retire.
The on and off, on and off is because of him. The party doesn't want him to be the successor, they want Koh Tsu Koon to be the successor. So whenever I say I retire, the central committee say no, no, no, you cannot say retirement.
He is the cause of my on off on off retirement. I should have retired long time ago if he was accepted by the party as the successor. I will have retired. What makes him think that he could be the successor of the party? If it was by popular choice, long time ago, I would have handed over to him. I have done all my best to help Kerk. In 1995, when we enlarged the party from two branches to 12 branches per division, I gave him sole chairmanship and the organiser of this enlarging the party almost handing the party over to him in 1995. In 1996, I went to central committee. In front of everyone, tell saudara Kerk please lah go down on the ground more lah, build up your rapport with the ground, take up the very issues the party stands for, build up your star, when your star is stronger, brighter than my star, time for me to go in 1996.
In 1999, a member challenged him, I went out of my way and called all the delegates to support him as the deputy president because he is to be my successor. 2002, Perak delegates fight him. I went on TV to ask the delegates to support him because he is the deputy president and my successor.
But why this time I said nothing? This time is really to decide the successor because everytime I talk about retirement, the CC ask me don't talk, don't talk, the state chairmen also ask me don't talk, so I went for the last three years to consult the party leadership as well as state chairmen and ask state chairmen to consult their grassroots divisions who do you want and quite a big majority of this team, the Gerakan team, said they wanted Koh Tsu Koon. So I told them to speak to Koh Tsu Koon. If you want Koh Tsu Koon, go speak to him and Koh Tsu Koon has listened to the grassroots; therefore decided to take over because I told the party, this is my last term.
It is in this term that I will hand over the successorship, presidency, this is my last term -- 2005 to 2008.
I am a very relieved man, relieved in the sense that at last the party has decided on who they want as a successor. And it is my duty therefore to ensure a smooth and as quick as possible a successor ... Koh Tsu Koon.
The other thing on him wanting to stay on for three terms, I think whether the president or leader of party should be on three-term limit, we will leave it to the new central committee to decide.
It is a very big and substantive matter and not for one person to decide. Only one person, dictatorship, can decide but I will leave it to central committee to decide. So, there has been accusations of me, I can understand.
That's why I ask party leaders; don't fight for position, out of anger, disappointment and frustration, don't. It is not good for them, it is not good for the party. I can understand saudara Kee Kwong (Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong) being very angry, very disappointed and very frustrated. I think let's remind him that he was put into Segambut, helicopter in and there was great resistance from the ground and I have to tell the ground let him try it out, he is a good man.
1995 he became a member of parliament. 1999, he came a deputy minister. Unfortunately, 2004 after the election, he was dropped as a deputy minister because of non-performance. So, when he became a member of parliament, helicopter in, when he became a deputy minister, same process of choosing representation was made, why didn't he call me a dictator then, huh? You get something, this is good president, don't get something, this is a very dictatorial president.
I am totally disappointed, that's why when I was contacted, I did not know whether to cry or to laugh, very shallow.
The Wanita candidate, Ketua Wanita candidate, says the party should be decentralised. I don't know what sort of rhetoric; she is famous for that rhetoric without any meaning. Nobody understands what she said and she wants to be the Wanita head.
I hope the Wanita members would choose very wisely, that's what I know about Surin Leong, rhetoric without meaning, decentralisation of the party, I think I have to break up my party headquarters and put them brick by brick in every state.
So, I'm not angry. I'm very at peace with myself. I'm actually very happy, and if the party members want me to carry on just that little time to ensure that a smooth transitional period, smooth handover to Koh as the new president of the party, if the party members want me, I am prepared to hold on for that two years to smoothly hand over to him. The party has chosen the successor, the successor is Koh Tsu Koon, not Kerk Choo Ting.
Koh: I want to add that precisely, this process of consultation that the president has gone through not just on the issue of the deputy president and the issue of successor but on most issues, he has been very consultative and very communicative. He's always communicating and talking to leaders. Even at a meeting just now. We definitely all disagree that he is a dictator, he is not a dictator.
In fact, he has been sometimes accused of being consulting too much, everytime he makes a major decision, he will be calling every state chairman and ask the state chairman to talk to the state liaison committee and this process of consultation is very healthy and it is part of democracy. Definitely not a characteristic of a dictator. Moreover, Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik is a grassroots man who always moves with the grassroots more than any other leaders in the party and a grassroots man can never be a dictator, that is the most important point.
On claims by Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong that he tried to read the delegates name list but only allowed to look for only 10 minutes and not allowed to copy, it was a procedure adopted many years, many elections ago.
You can inspect according to the party constitution, you can inspect the membership like you inspect the voters list, whether your name is there, whether your name is correct at the state, at the division and headquarters.
It is open for everybody to go and check but we do not allow and it has been effective many years, many elections since the 80s, always been the rule that you cannot just go and photocopy because what is the use of photocopying? You want to know, you can inspect but administratively, it is not a decision made by the president, it is not a decision made by the central committee, it was just administration at that time that if you need to inspect, you only need 10 minutes.
So when this issue came to the knowledge of the president, the president himself said no, you can allow him to sit there and if he wants to copy, don't photocopy because we do not want everybody to come and photocopy. If you want to use pen and pencil or whatever, you can. You want to memorise it, you can. The president actually overruled the 10 minute requirement, which is just done by the administration not by the president, not done by the central committtee.
The president is the one who brought it to the central committee that I came to know about the 10 minute ruling and he overruled it, I think it is a very small minor issue.
I don't see why Kee Kwong would complain about it because he also admitted it was already resolved but he blamed it on the president. He used this to substantiate his argument that the president is dictatorial. It is purely an administrative matter.
KY: This decision to keep the delegates list in the headquarters for inspection, whether it is membership, delegates, and all this is kept in the headquarters. Decision made even before Koh Tsu Koon joined the party. Because the headquarters feel that the delegates list, you can come and see and inspect and make sure a member and a delegate but it was not given to any particular person, including the president because we don't want people to use the delegates list to practise unhealthy politics, surat layang, money politics and is only 1,840 names. Delegates only. We want to avoid all this that's why you can come and see, you cannot take the copy out.
The president doesn't even have a copy and the president doesn't want a copy. You want, you go down to the ground, go to the states, go and visit, go to the division, you meet them there.
We don't want unhealthy ... that's why I quote Kerk's manifesto to promote a healthier political culture in Gerakan and this are part of promoting the healthy, now you understand why.
When I came up that morning for this central committee meeting, when I found out there was this, I immediately overruled the headquarters and just said no, you cannot. I asked headquarters why only 10 minutes, he said we have to put somebody standby to make sure they don't use camera to copy and nowadays, the camera like that not allowed to, whatever it is, get more people get the guards to stand there to ensure that kind of thing, 10 minutes there might be misunderstanding. So I said office hours 9 to 5 anytime for as long as you want, you want to see until your eyes also pop out, I don't care.
Koh: This has been the practice for so long that we have taken it for granted. The 10 minutes was a small administrative matter. It should not become an issue. The principle of it has been redundant for so many years and it has never been raised even in 1994 contest when Michael Chen challenged Lim Keng Yaik and 1997 when Goh Cheng Teik challenged Lim Keng Yaik for the presidency.
Why wait until 2007 and why not leave now?
KY: I offered Koh Tsu Koon, why not you stand for president this year but you ask Tsu Koon lah.
Koh: I feel the president still has unfinished tasks in his leadership. He needs 1.5 to 2 years to complete. There is still uncompleted work in his Energy, Water and Communications Ministry which needs laws, regulations, new structures, new setups and he was entrusted with this responsibility by the prime minister. I feel that he should continue for another two years until the end his term.
On the side of Penang, I also have work to do. Next year is the implementation of the Ninth Malaysia Plan and I want to make sure that projects and programmes and even approval for allocation to be implemented are in place. There is also adjustments to be made in the Penang government and see how the transition ahead could be made. These are issues that need to be discussed within the party, there are many possible arrangements, we want to be sure that the transition is systematic, very solid basis, not to be too fast or too slow, this is very important.
KY: When they fight for position, I don't want unfortunate incident like the MCA to happen in 1982, (Lee) San Choon went, they did not make a succession, they went and fought for many years and when Leo Moggie was made minister, he retired as president party, the party became deregistered.
All this, as a responsible man, as a president of the party for 25 years, it is my duty to ensure the succession is smooth. If that is ensured, I believe I have that little time left. But the party has to decide who the successor is and they have decided and that is Koh Tsu Koon.
So I want to ensure smooth transition, we are late already, do you know why? Umno has changed new leadership already, MCA also has changed new leadership that is why I knew five years ago Gerakan should decide but because of Kerk Choo Ting not being accepted by the party, that is why I have been on off on off.
(When asked by a reporter about Kerk saying that Gerakan was a Keng Yaik Sdn Bhd, Lim was quick to point out it was not Kerk who said so, but Tan Kee Kwong.)
You all wrong, don't cucuk, it is Kee Kwong who said that. I know what Kerk said, you all are not right. We are still saudara-saudara (to laughter from the floor). Don't batu api.
What he said I have given to him, and I was replying to what Kee Kwong said, not Kerk.
Koh: I have already commented on behalf of him, you can ask the other leaders. He is a leader who has been so consultative and a leader who has been running the party based on full team work and it is not a Sendirian Berhad. I don't know what they mean by Sendirian Berhad.
(Asked what he thought about Kerk's comments that he did not want to challenge Koh whom he said was a family friend)
Koh: I don't think he should bring family relationships in deciding politics.
When he made the decision to challenge the party president, I think he did not make the right decision, because there was another option. The other option is to accept the proposal to be the national adviser, without challenging the leadership of the party, there is still another choice.
So that is why, there was a proposal, that is the reason why I was asked, he asked me to challenge the president. There was a proposed formula which he rejected because he said it was not in the constitution. I thought even though it was not in the constitution it would be acceptable to him. It is special because it is decided at the national delegates conference and it is for the person in recognition of contribution to the party. If it was acceptable to Lim Chong Eu even though it was not in the constitution, I thought it will be acceptable to him, that is why I proposed it. If he had accepted it, it would have been passed unanimously. Every member would be so happy and they would respect him very much. Tun Lim Chong Eu held the post 10 years until he retired from active politics.
(Asked how he felt as he personally appointed Kerk in 1989)
KY: "You are wrong. In 1989, Paul Leong was deputy president and he resigned and the central committee then appointed Kerk to be acting deputy president until he was elected in 1990 with my full support."
(How do you feel about the whole thing, are you angry or upset?)
KY: I am happy not because Kerk has decided to contest but because the party has decided on a successor - Koh Tsu Koon as the new president. He is the new president when I retire, he will be president.
(Do you expect the party to be torn apart by this episode?)
KY: The strength of Gerakan has always been teamwork because of the closeness, team work, team spirit, and because of closeness of the team, the team has to go in as a Gerakan team and as a team, if it is strong, year in year out, one term after another term.
For the last 25 years, under my leadership, the team did it, not me. Because of strength and tightness of the team of being able to work together, there's never fractionalism, camps. That is why there is never a Team A or Team B, there's always just team Gerakan.
Kerk says he can work with the team, yes, I am afraid the team cannot work with him. That is my only fear, if he ever becomes president. He says he can work with the team, I hope the team can work with him.
Transcript of press conference by Gerakan's Lim, Koh
Transcript of press conference by Gerakan president Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik and incoming deputy president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon on Monday, Aug 22, in Penang.
Koh: The president briefed party leaders and delegates about the forthcoming party elections and what we highlighted is the fact that the Gerakan Reinventing for 21st Century Agenda is in place.
It was the result of intensive consultation, brainstorming among party leaders, central committee members and all elected reps, MPs and state assemblymen. And this is the ongoing programme that is being implemented by the party. We had talks about our roles, mission in national scene, national policies, stating our objectives and how we want to realise Vision 2020 which is in accordance with our party ideology as well as outlining all projects that have been implemented. This is actually not a manifesto for election but it is a programme for the party as a result of teamwork and this is what we emphasise, teamwork.
Teamwork is the most important basis for the party to work together,and the members of the team have been very working closely and that is the essense of the spirit of Gerakan, teamwork.
I want to emphasise this, it's not a personal manifesto but a result of teamwork led by Keng Yaik as the president. That's why the team which constitute the central committee members and also elected state chairman, state leaders, had generally overall overwhelmingly contributed to this process of teamwork. On this basis, we expressed our strong support for Keng Yaik for another term as the party president. The delegates had also asked questions to clear doubts, we have also explained that we have held a process of consultation amongst the team and through some members of the team as well as leaders inside and outside the party to Kerk (Choo Ting) over the last few months with myself also holding discussions and consultations with him personally.
But unfortunately, we have not been able to reach any agreement and one reason he said is that because he is left with only two choice. Either challenging the president, he is forced to challenge the president, or to retire. We have offered the third option which is national advisor, and he said insisted that because national advisor is not a post stated in the party constitution, he cannot accept it. I think that is not correct because we have a precedent, we had a convention and in fact there is a tradition, there is only once in the party history the most respected leader, when he retired, he was appointed as the national advisor, not through the party constitution but through a resolution unanimously passed by the national delegates conference. And that is very strong support instead of having a post called national advisor in the constitution. Because national advisor as a post in the constitution, you must always have it.
But in Gerakan, we have only Chong Eu as national advisor for ten years. He accepted the post although it was not in the constitution because it was a special honour, passed only by the national delegates conference and he served for 10 years until he retired from politics or just before he retired from politics. If there is a post called national advisor in the constitution, it means after Chong Eu retired, we had to appoint somebody else. Then it is not special, not something very special, it's like any other post in the constitution. So I think he misunderstood it, although we have actually explained it to him. This was explained that this was the process and yet he still insisted that it's not in the constitution and therefore he's left with no choice.
I hope that he would still reconsider because it is something very special and when this was suggested to him, it was in the context that it was in acordance with a convention and the tradition which only happened once before in the history of Gerakan. I think this point is very important.
Keng Yaik: I am sure the press is looking forward for me to reply but I must say Dr Koh has summarised well in the sense that I don't have a personal manifesto. The manifesto that I will be implementing is a manifesto decided by the party and it is ongoing... it provides the political reform within the party, promote healthier political culture in the Gerakan, enhances Gerakan's contribution to national education and economic policies, promote and foster closer rapport with leaders and partners in BN... all inside here, I was just reading Kerk's manifesto. I'm reading his manisfesto --strengthen the party's research arm and foster closer cooperation and relationship with NGO, all these are inside here.
Koh: This is actually published more than a year ago and being implemented now
KY: Ini manifesto ada dalam party yang mana. Saya sudah cakap, saya tiada manifesto. Ini party punya, dan I think I must thank the delegates that the issue that the delegates conference face today was to decide the successor of the party. The delegates have decided whether it is through the opinions and views expressed by the various states in the last two months but now culminating in that Koh won uncontested as the new deputy president of the party. He is therefore the successor of the party, so it is my responsibility to ensure a smooth succession is brought about. That's why 2007 is the timing of the handover of the successorship, handover of the presidency of Gerakan will be done in 2007. So Kerk says that "if I am elected I will implement the nine year tenure system, I will not stay more than three terms". By standing, he is not accepting Koh as successor of the party. By standing, even he wins, he still wants to go on for not more than three terms. If he is willing to deliver the successorship to Koh within this term, why do you want to stand for president.
Why you want to stand as president for only two years? Why he want to stand? We are already in the process of putting up the successorship and this is Gerakan's way of arranging a smooth handover of the leadership of the party, and not go for elections and ping ping pong pong and hot campaign and all that kind of thing and so, there's contradiction on what he wants to do and what is in his manifesto.
I don't want to criticise because we are not participating in a war, we are only going through an election in the party. So the other aspect is he said he wants three terms, he is not going to stay more than nine years, we already decided that Koh Tsu Koon in 2005 is the successor and we have to hand it over to him as soon as possible.
My good friend says he wants to if he wins, he will lead the party for nine years, by the time, I don't know whether Koh Tsu Koon will have the strength anymore to take over the party. Why is it important that we must arrange for a succession. Yes, he said in his press statement Lim Keng Yaik's on and off, on and off decision to retire and in the end, not retire.
The on and off, on and off is because of him. The party doesn't want him to be the successor, they want Koh Tsu Koon to be the successor. So whenever I say I retire, the central committee say no, no, no, you cannot say retirement.
He is the cause of my on off on off retirement. I should have retired long time ago if he was accepted by the party as the successor. I will have retired. What makes him think that he could be the successor of the party? If it was by popular choice, long time ago, I would have handed over to him. I have done all my best to help Kerk. In 1995, when we enlarged the party from two branches to 12 branches per division, I gave him sole chairmanship and the organiser of this enlarging the party almost handing the party over to him in 1995. In 1996, I went to central committee. In front of everyone, tell saudara Kerk please lah go down on the ground more lah, build up your rapport with the ground, take up the very issues the party stands for, build up your star, when your star is stronger, brighter than my star, time for me to go in 1996.
In 1999, a member challenged him, I went out of my way and called all the delegates to support him as the deputy president because he is to be my successor. 2002, Perak delegates fight him. I went on TV to ask the delegates to support him because he is the deputy president and my successor.
But why this time I said nothing? This time is really to decide the successor because everytime I talk about retirement, the CC ask me don't talk, don't talk, the state chairmen also ask me don't talk, so I went for the last three years to consult the party leadership as well as state chairmen and ask state chairmen to consult their grassroots divisions who do you want and quite a big majority of this team, the Gerakan team, said they wanted Koh Tsu Koon. So I told them to speak to Koh Tsu Koon. If you want Koh Tsu Koon, go speak to him and Koh Tsu Koon has listened to the grassroots; therefore decided to take over because I told the party, this is my last term.
It is in this term that I will hand over the successorship, presidency, this is my last term -- 2005 to 2008.
I am a very relieved man, relieved in the sense that at last the party has decided on who they want as a successor. And it is my duty therefore to ensure a smooth and as quick as possible a successor ... Koh Tsu Koon.
The other thing on him wanting to stay on for three terms, I think whether the president or leader of party should be on three-term limit, we will leave it to the new central committee to decide.
It is a very big and substantive matter and not for one person to decide. Only one person, dictatorship, can decide but I will leave it to central committee to decide. So, there has been accusations of me, I can understand.
That's why I ask party leaders; don't fight for position, out of anger, disappointment and frustration, don't. It is not good for them, it is not good for the party. I can understand saudara Kee Kwong (Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong) being very angry, very disappointed and very frustrated. I think let's remind him that he was put into Segambut, helicopter in and there was great resistance from the ground and I have to tell the ground let him try it out, he is a good man.
1995 he became a member of parliament. 1999, he came a deputy minister. Unfortunately, 2004 after the election, he was dropped as a deputy minister because of non-performance. So, when he became a member of parliament, helicopter in, when he became a deputy minister, same process of choosing representation was made, why didn't he call me a dictator then, huh? You get something, this is good president, don't get something, this is a very dictatorial president.
I am totally disappointed, that's why when I was contacted, I did not know whether to cry or to laugh, very shallow.
The Wanita candidate, Ketua Wanita candidate, says the party should be decentralised. I don't know what sort of rhetoric; she is famous for that rhetoric without any meaning. Nobody understands what she said and she wants to be the Wanita head.
I hope the Wanita members would choose very wisely, that's what I know about Surin Leong, rhetoric without meaning, decentralisation of the party, I think I have to break up my party headquarters and put them brick by brick in every state.
So, I'm not angry. I'm very at peace with myself. I'm actually very happy, and if the party members want me to carry on just that little time to ensure that a smooth transitional period, smooth handover to Koh as the new president of the party, if the party members want me, I am prepared to hold on for that two years to smoothly hand over to him. The party has chosen the successor, the successor is Koh Tsu Koon, not Kerk Choo Ting.
Koh: I want to add that precisely, this process of consultation that the president has gone through not just on the issue of the deputy president and the issue of successor but on most issues, he has been very consultative and very communicative. He's always communicating and talking to leaders. Even at a meeting just now. We definitely all disagree that he is a dictator, he is not a dictator.
In fact, he has been sometimes accused of being consulting too much, everytime he makes a major decision, he will be calling every state chairman and ask the state chairman to talk to the state liaison committee and this process of consultation is very healthy and it is part of democracy. Definitely not a characteristic of a dictator. Moreover, Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik is a grassroots man who always moves with the grassroots more than any other leaders in the party and a grassroots man can never be a dictator, that is the most important point.
On claims by Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong that he tried to read the delegates name list but only allowed to look for only 10 minutes and not allowed to copy, it was a procedure adopted many years, many elections ago.
You can inspect according to the party constitution, you can inspect the membership like you inspect the voters list, whether your name is there, whether your name is correct at the state, at the division and headquarters.
It is open for everybody to go and check but we do not allow and it has been effective many years, many elections since the 80s, always been the rule that you cannot just go and photocopy because what is the use of photocopying? You want to know, you can inspect but administratively, it is not a decision made by the president, it is not a decision made by the central committee, it was just administration at that time that if you need to inspect, you only need 10 minutes.
So when this issue came to the knowledge of the president, the president himself said no, you can allow him to sit there and if he wants to copy, don't photocopy because we do not want everybody to come and photocopy. If you want to use pen and pencil or whatever, you can. You want to memorise it, you can. The president actually overruled the 10 minute requirement, which is just done by the administration not by the president, not done by the central committtee.
The president is the one who brought it to the central committee that I came to know about the 10 minute ruling and he overruled it, I think it is a very small minor issue.
I don't see why Kee Kwong would complain about it because he also admitted it was already resolved but he blamed it on the president. He used this to substantiate his argument that the president is dictatorial. It is purely an administrative matter.
KY: This decision to keep the delegates list in the headquarters for inspection, whether it is membership, delegates, and all this is kept in the headquarters. Decision made even before Koh Tsu Koon joined the party. Because the headquarters feel that the delegates list, you can come and see and inspect and make sure a member and a delegate but it was not given to any particular person, including the president because we don't want people to use the delegates list to practise unhealthy politics, surat layang, money politics and is only 1,840 names. Delegates only. We want to avoid all this that's why you can come and see, you cannot take the copy out.
The president doesn't even have a copy and the president doesn't want a copy. You want, you go down to the ground, go to the states, go and visit, go to the division, you meet them there.
We don't want unhealthy ... that's why I quote Kerk's manifesto to promote a healthier political culture in Gerakan and this are part of promoting the healthy, now you understand why.
When I came up that morning for this central committee meeting, when I found out there was this, I immediately overruled the headquarters and just said no, you cannot. I asked headquarters why only 10 minutes, he said we have to put somebody standby to make sure they don't use camera to copy and nowadays, the camera like that not allowed to, whatever it is, get more people get the guards to stand there to ensure that kind of thing, 10 minutes there might be misunderstanding. So I said office hours 9 to 5 anytime for as long as you want, you want to see until your eyes also pop out, I don't care.
Koh: This has been the practice for so long that we have taken it for granted. The 10 minutes was a small administrative matter. It should not become an issue. The principle of it has been redundant for so many years and it has never been raised even in 1994 contest when Michael Chen challenged Lim Keng Yaik and 1997 when Goh Cheng Teik challenged Lim Keng Yaik for the presidency.
Why wait until 2007 and why not leave now?
KY: I offered Koh Tsu Koon, why not you stand for president this year but you ask Tsu Koon lah.
Koh: I feel the president still has unfinished tasks in his leadership. He needs 1.5 to 2 years to complete. There is still uncompleted work in his Energy, Water and Communications Ministry which needs laws, regulations, new structures, new setups and he was entrusted with this responsibility by the prime minister. I feel that he should continue for another two years until the end his term.
On the side of Penang, I also have work to do. Next year is the implementation of the Ninth Malaysia Plan and I want to make sure that projects and programmes and even approval for allocation to be implemented are in place. There is also adjustments to be made in the Penang government and see how the transition ahead could be made. These are issues that need to be discussed within the party, there are many possible arrangements, we want to be sure that the transition is systematic, very solid basis, not to be too fast or too slow, this is very important.
KY: When they fight for position, I don't want unfortunate incident like the MCA to happen in 1982, (Lee) San Choon went, they did not make a succession, they went and fought for many years and when Leo Moggie was made minister, he retired as president party, the party became deregistered.
All this, as a responsible man, as a president of the party for 25 years, it is my duty to ensure the succession is smooth. If that is ensured, I believe I have that little time left. But the party has to decide who the successor is and they have decided and that is Koh Tsu Koon.
So I want to ensure smooth transition, we are late already, do you know why? Umno has changed new leadership already, MCA also has changed new leadership that is why I knew five years ago Gerakan should decide but because of Kerk Choo Ting not being accepted by the party, that is why I have been on off on off.
(When asked by a reporter about Kerk saying that Gerakan was a Keng Yaik Sdn Bhd, Lim was quick to point out it was not Kerk who said so, but Tan Kee Kwong.)
You all wrong, don't cucuk, it is Kee Kwong who said that. I know what Kerk said, you all are not right. We are still saudara-saudara (to laughter from the floor). Don't batu api.
What he said I have given to him, and I was replying to what Kee Kwong said, not Kerk.
Koh: I have already commented on behalf of him, you can ask the other leaders. He is a leader who has been so consultative and a leader who has been running the party based on full team work and it is not a Sendirian Berhad. I don't know what they mean by Sendirian Berhad.
(Asked what he thought about Kerk's comments that he did not want to challenge Koh whom he said was a family friend)
Koh: I don't think he should bring family relationships in deciding politics.
When he made the decision to challenge the party president, I think he did not make the right decision, because there was another option. The other option is to accept the proposal to be the national adviser, without challenging the leadership of the party, there is still another choice.
So that is why, there was a proposal, that is the reason why I was asked, he asked me to challenge the president. There was a proposed formula which he rejected because he said it was not in the constitution. I thought even though it was not in the constitution it would be acceptable to him. It is special because it is decided at the national delegates conference and it is for the person in recognition of contribution to the party. If it was acceptable to Lim Chong Eu even though it was not in the constitution, I thought it will be acceptable to him, that is why I proposed it. If he had accepted it, it would have been passed unanimously. Every member would be so happy and they would respect him very much. Tun Lim Chong Eu held the post 10 years until he retired from active politics.
(Asked how he felt as he personally appointed Kerk in 1989)
KY: "You are wrong. In 1989, Paul Leong was deputy president and he resigned and the central committee then appointed Kerk to be acting deputy president until he was elected in 1990 with my full support."
(How do you feel about the whole thing, are you angry or upset?)
KY: I am happy not because Kerk has decided to contest but because the party has decided on a successor - Koh Tsu Koon as the new president. He is the new president when I retire, he will be president.
(Do you expect the party to be torn apart by this episode?)
KY: The strength of Gerakan has always been teamwork because of the closeness, team work, team spirit, and because of closeness of the team, the team has to go in as a Gerakan team and as a team, if it is strong, year in year out, one term after another term.
For the last 25 years, under my leadership, the team did it, not me. Because of strength and tightness of the team of being able to work together, there's never fractionalism, camps. That is why there is never a Team A or Team B, there's always just team Gerakan.
Kerk says he can work with the team, yes, I am afraid the team cannot work with him. That is my only fear, if he ever becomes president. He says he can work with the team, I hope the team can work with him.
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