GEORGE TOWN: The Gerakan grassroots movement (VGG) has called on the party top leadership to abolish the office of party adviser following Dr Lim Keng Yaik's outburst against party president Koh Tsu Koon.
In its portal statement here today, the group said Lim was right to resign as Gerakan adviser for failing to perform the proper role of an adviser.
The group said although Lim has the right to criticise party affairs, he should have had some decency to do so.
It said that Lim should respect the office of party president and Koh’s discretion to listen or not to listen to his advice.
It said Lim should not abuse his position as party adviser to pursue his personal vendetta and ulterior motives.
The group added that since Lim had resigned, he should keep it that way and stay out of party affairs.
“With hindsight, it was a mistake to create the office of party adviser in the first place. Given this nasty episode, it is time to abolish the office of adviser immediately,” the group said.
Theatrical show
The group criticised Lim for putting up a theatrical “I quit” show at the eleventh hour to save Dr Teng Hock Nan from losing his position as Penang party chief.
“What is most upsetting is the manner he announced his resignation. It’s unbecoming of a former leader to ridicule and denounce the president of the very party that appointed him as adviser.
“He has failed to perform truly as adviser,” the group said in a statement made available to FMT.
The group said it was not calling on Lim to resign, but insisted that the former president was free to do so if he believed he could not perform in his advisory role.
This Sunday (10-10-10), Teng faces a vote of no confidence against his state leadership in an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) engineered by VGG.
State Gerakan secretary Ong Thean Lye had sent notices of the EGM, called under Article 73 of the party constitution, to all 393 eligible delegates from 197 branches in the state.
Gerakan, which was the state ruling party under the Barisan Nasional from 1969 to 2008 until it was toppled by Pakatan Rakyat, has some 63,000 members in Penang.
Political stunt
Lim resigned as party adviser two days ago because Koh has decided to skip the EGM to attend the MCA annual delegates’ conference held on the same day.
VGG claimed that Lim pulled the political stunt because his anointed successor Koh did not listen to him on how to handle the party affairs, especially pertaining to the motion of no confidence against Teng.
“Koh was merely expressing his neutrality on the issue. So what’s the big deal? Why was Lim so upset and behaved as if the sky was falling?” asked the group.
VGG is puzzled why Lim, who is not a Penang delegate, chose to call for a press conference to angrily denounce Koh just before the EGM.
“Given Lim’s strange action and emotional outburst, one cannot help but suspect that he wants to interfere through Koh in the EGM,” the group said.
The group argued that Lim should leave the EGM matters solely in the hands of Penang party delegates.
It said that Penang delegates did not see Koh’s absence as an issue neither did they feel offended or neglected.
“The delegates can handle the EGM by themselves,” the statement said.
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