KUALA LUMPUR: Gerakan Rakyat acting president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon emphasised that his proposal for UMNO to brief the BN Supreme Council on its choice of party president, had been done purely out of concern for the country, and had absolutely no intention of interfering into UMNO's internal affairs.
He pointed out that within the BN framework, UMNO's president will automatically be BN's president and the country's prime minister. Moreover, UMNO currently occupies more than half of all BN's seats in the Parliament, and is therefore a very powerful political force which warrants the attention and concern of all Malaysians.
"This has been a reasonable request, not a form of intervention, as it has something to do with the nation's future. We must therefore be concerned about this matter. If UMNO has come up with a solution during the process of its internal adjustments, it should brief other BN component parties so that we could be kept abreast of the latest developments."
During an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily, Koh admitted that BN component parties, including Gerakan Rakyat, seldom openly voiced their opinions in the past; but things have changed now, and the party does not want to give people an impression that it is a "party without its own ideas."
"Although we did not openly voice our opinions, we were actually very concerned about UMNO's elections, and have kept in touch with them on a regular basis. However, we now feel that if we don't openly express our views, we will be seen as being indifferent or submissive."
He said, the party has not really openly expressed its views on UMNO's party elections. It has only made a reasonable request with the hope that communication could be established between UMNO and the rest.
On the issue of UMNO's party elections, Koh said Gerakan leaders have obtained information or indirectly expressed the party's views, through their friends within UMNO without openly expressing their views to the public. In a similar manner, Gerakan Rakyat also does not wish to see leaders from UMNO or any other BN component party openly expressing their views on Gerakan's elections.
"We abstained from open discussions in the past because we did not want people to think we were interfering into other people's business." (By SUN LISHAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)
He pointed out that within the BN framework, UMNO's president will automatically be BN's president and the country's prime minister. Moreover, UMNO currently occupies more than half of all BN's seats in the Parliament, and is therefore a very powerful political force which warrants the attention and concern of all Malaysians.
"This has been a reasonable request, not a form of intervention, as it has something to do with the nation's future. We must therefore be concerned about this matter. If UMNO has come up with a solution during the process of its internal adjustments, it should brief other BN component parties so that we could be kept abreast of the latest developments."
During an exclusive interview with Sin Chew Daily, Koh admitted that BN component parties, including Gerakan Rakyat, seldom openly voiced their opinions in the past; but things have changed now, and the party does not want to give people an impression that it is a "party without its own ideas."
"Although we did not openly voice our opinions, we were actually very concerned about UMNO's elections, and have kept in touch with them on a regular basis. However, we now feel that if we don't openly express our views, we will be seen as being indifferent or submissive."
He said, the party has not really openly expressed its views on UMNO's party elections. It has only made a reasonable request with the hope that communication could be established between UMNO and the rest.
On the issue of UMNO's party elections, Koh said Gerakan leaders have obtained information or indirectly expressed the party's views, through their friends within UMNO without openly expressing their views to the public. In a similar manner, Gerakan Rakyat also does not wish to see leaders from UMNO or any other BN component party openly expressing their views on Gerakan's elections.
"We abstained from open discussions in the past because we did not want people to think we were interfering into other people's business." (By SUN LISHAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)
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