Gerakan gains momentum For GE14
By Voon Miaw Ping
PUTRAJAYA, March 20 (Bernama) -- Almost wiped out in the last two general elections, Gerakan is gaining momentum for a comeback and play a more prominent role as a Barisan Nasional component party in the forthcoming 14th General Election.
All indications point to a rejuvenated Gerakan, now in better shape to face the election dubbed the 'mother of all elections'.
The party is regaining the support it lost and this is apparent through the win by its president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong in the Teluk Intan parliamentary by-election in 2014.
He first won the seat in 1999, retained it in the 2004 general election and then failed to defend it for two consecutive terms in 2008 and 2013 general election before wresting it back from DAP.
"There is a shift of support towards Gerakan now based on feedback from the ground. (It's because) the party had continued to serve and help the people despite suffering big losses in the past two general elections," he said.
In the last general election in 2013, Gerakan won only one parliamentary seat - Simpang Renggam in Johor, and two states seats in Sabah. In the 2008 general election, the party secured two parliamentary seats and four state seats.
"I went to many states, including Penang. I can feel that there is a shift in mood (back to Barisan Nasional).
"According to what I read, in 2013, Chinese support for BN was less than 15 percent. My assessment (for GE14) is definitely better than that. That is why we are confident," he told Bernama and New Straits Times at his office here.
However, Mah cautioned that the party must not remain in the comfort zone in spite of the positive signals from voters.
Gerakan, he said, was facing brutal challenges of politics of perception and psyche war mounted by DAP which after rising to power in Penang in 2008, had grown big headed, swayed by the confidence that they would be able to repeat their feat this time around.
"The opposition is proud and arrogant, they think they can sweep all," said Mah, expressing optimism that Gerakan would be able to make inroads in Penang in this general election.
He also chided the DAP-led Penang goverment for having failed the people when it did not deliver the promises it made.
He said although Gerakan failed to capture any seats in Penang in GE13, the defeat had not killed Penang Gerakan and stop them from continuing to provide service and support to the people in the state which it previously ruled.
"To me the report card is very important, whether it's the record of the government or the individual. During election time, the campaigning period is only two weeks, so we have lots of helicopter candidates that will fly here and there and make lots of promises," he said.
Mah said instead of working for the people and the state, the DAP sowed hatred for BN among the people.
"I have never seen so much politics of hatred including against me since the day I became Gerakan president,? he said, adding, the opposition's attempt to ?kill' him in Teluk Intan during the GE14 would not spell the end of the once firebrand party.
"Gerakan has so many capable leaders. Even if I got killed there are many capable leaders that can take over. So forget the idea of killing Gerakan," Mah said.
-- BERNAMA
