Gerakan EGM: No vote-buying

By Athi Shankar - Free Malaysia Today

GEORGE TOWN: No misconduct was committed by any quarters to woo support pertaining to the motion of no confidence to be tabled at this Sunday's extraordinary general meeting against Gerakan's Penang chief Dr Teng Hock Nan.

Party deputy president Chang Ko Youn said his probe found no evidence to prove claims of wrongdoings and vote-buying.

He said it was normal in a democratic process for one party to try to persuade and convince another for support.

He said such campaigns were not wrong so long as it was carried out in a healthy manner with no party rules and political conventions breached.

“So far there is no evidence to prove improper conduct and wrongdoings,” he told a press conference here today.

Also present were Teng, also the party vice-president, speaker of the Gerakan national delegates’ conference Chin Fook Weng, party central working committee member and Kedah party chief Dr Cheah Soon Hai, state party secretary Ong Thean Lye and treasurer Ng Fook On.

Assisted by Cheah, Chang will chair the EGM on 10-10-10 that would decide on Teng, who joined Gerakan in 1973. The EGM would be held at 10.30am at the state party headquarters’ conference hall.

Allegations were raised that a senior leader was involved in vote-buying to support the embattled Teng.

'It was a miscommunication'

At the press conference, Chin admitted he was the senior leader mentioned but denied that he had tried to “buy” support for Teng.

“It was a miscommunication and misunderstanding,” he said.

He claimed that state Gerakan Youth vice-chairman Ng Say Kheng had raised the allegation after having misconstrued a joke by a party office staff named Khoo Teik Lee

He narrated that the alleged incident took place when he instructed Khoo to call Ng to come to the office to help on the EGM arrangement.

Khoo apparently told Ng that the “boss wants to see you.”

When Ng asked why, Khoo has jokingly told him that “maybe he wants to appoint you as the EGM coordinator.”

Chin claimed that Ng had misunderstood that Teng, and not him, was “the boss” and misconstrued Khoo’s joke as vote-buying.

“It all has been cleared now,” Chin clarified.
Chang, also the head of the party legal bureau, explained that Article 46 of the party constitution required the vote of no confidence to be passed with a two-third majority support from delegates.

Constitutionally, Teng need not resign in the event of any other outcome.

According to Chang, Article 73, under which the EGM was called, was only a procedural provision.

He explained that the motion did not come under Article 42.5, which states that “any matter to be voted upon shall be by a simple majority of the members present” unless otherwise provided for by the constitution.

Chang said since the petition by the Gerakan unofficial grassroots movement had expressly stated that a vote of no confidence would be tabled against Teng at the EGM, the motion would come under Article 46.

Chang declined to speculate on whether Teng needed to resign if he wins or loses by a simple majority.

In such a scenario, Teng said he would leave his political fate to the party central committee (CC), the highest decision making body.

Gerakan has 393 eligible delegates representing 63,000 members from 197 branches in Penang. The EGM was called following a petition signed by 67 party grassroots members.