GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan is taking a shot at a comeback next month to gauge its standing with voters.
The party, which failed to win any seat in the general elections on May 9, 2018 and has since severed ties with the Barisan Nasional (BN), will take on Pakatan Harapan (PH), among others, in the Tanjung Piai by-election on Nov 16.
Both Umno and the MCA are vying to have one of their own picked to stand, but a final decision has yet to be made. The seat was traditionally contested by the MCA when BN was still in power.
Gerakan leaders see the by-election as an opportunity to reconnect with voters nationwide and to see where it stands especially with the Chinese electorate despite speculation that it could even lose its deposit.
A member of its by-election secretariat, Ong Khang Woon, said the party wanted to offer an alternative narrative — that a multi-ethnic party with a moderate outlook had a chance to contribute to nation building.
“We should not be distracted by racial and religious issues. We must focus on the more important issue and that is to achieve our goal to make Malaysia a developed nation,” he added.
PH will likely be represented by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) again. Datuk Dr Md Farid Md Rafik, who won the seat for PH in the general elections, was from PPBM.
To show its commitment, Gerakan will hold its annual delegates conference in Tanjung Piai. That way, thousands of its leaders and members would be in the constituency to also campaign for its candidate.
In the 14th general elections, Farid beat MCA’s Datuk Seri Wee Jeck Seng and PAS’ Nordin Othman by a slim margin of 524 votes.
