I have read an article in today’s local newspaper reported that Gerakan is studying whether they can still play a meaningful role as a component party in the Barisan Nasional, acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said. He said that what he maeant of “a meaningful role means genuine mutual respect among component party members, able to share ideas and getting consulted on major programmes and policies”. Furthermore, he believed that Gerakan’s membership in BN was not unconditional as reported before. He thought that it is a right decision to make in order to affirm their position as a member of BN. In addition, he didn’t deny anything when asked about possibility of Gerakan to leave BN in the near future by the media. Dr Koh said Gerakan was not a yes-man in the coalition but they would also not leave merely because another component party’s member attacked them. Datuk Ahmad Ismail, who is currently the Bukit Bendera Umno division chief had been alleged to have described Malaysian-Chinese as “squatter” which carry the same meaning as unlawful tenant, has also been involved in a war of words with Gerakan. The Gerakan’s acting president said that they should be given a “reasonable” amount of time to review its position in Barisan. If Gerakan really make a move of pulling out of BN in the near future, there would be a huge internal crisis among BN party members. There are possibilities of Gerakan in joining the opposition party as well and if this becomes true, BN will face a slump in their political support by Malaysians. They might also lose in the next general election and due to that, BN will not be able to form a government. BN should take this matter into serious consideration as it can be a decisive factor for their future development.
*BCT term(s): Ad populum Appeal to Indirect Consequences (Slippery Slope Argument or Domino Theory Argument)
