PETALING JAYA: A Gerakan veteran expects the party to go back to its roots by focusing on Penang in the next general election following the partnership of the biggest Malay-based parties in the country.
Wong Mun Hoe, formerly a Gerakan central committee member and party strategist, said the multi-racial party needs to consolidate in Penang as the alliance of Umno and PAS is strong elsewhere.
“The combined force of Umno and PAS makes it difficult to contest in other states,” Wong said.
“We must remember that Gerakan is no longer part of Barisan Nasional (BN), so we must fight all other parties. Penang is the only state where the non-Malay votes form the majority.”
Wong said he expects the party to be selective and most strategic on which seats it chooses to contest.
In Penang, Gerakan has its base and grassroot support, which may have eroded due to the overwhelming show of support for DAP, Wong added.
“Time will give rise to another round of change as people are slowly getting fed up of DAP due to policies which have yet to bear fruit,“ he said.
Gerakan deserves another chance because it was the party that originally developed the state, and most of its infrastructure, Wong added.
