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©Bernama (Used
by permission)
by Alan Ting
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 (Bernama) -- Acting Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu
Koon is undoubtedly, a brilliant orator and articulate speaker.
This, he indicated, when taking on DAP strongman and Penang Chief Minister Lim
Guan Eng in a televised "Penang Land Scam" debate Wednesday night.
Dr Koh certainly, has good communication skills and knows his stuff well, which
makes him a good 'treasure trove of information' - the mark of a true orator.
However, can these oratory skills help the 59-year-old politician in his quest
to rehabilitate Gerakan which was badly bashed in the March 8 general election?
Some Gerakan leaders are confident of Dr Koh's ability as they believe he is not
just a good "talker" but also a "doer", with years of experience in crisis
management.
"Tan Sri Dr Koh is a very firm person, articulate and talks with facts. He has
gained a lot of respect from the debate," said Gerakan vice-president Datuk
Chang Ko Youn.
"Party members already know his style of leadership, his capability. The debate
reinforced their opinion on him," he added.
Another vice-president, Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nam, said the debate enhanced the
party members' trust on Dr Koh's leadership.
"The debate is certainly a plus point for him. It has proven, yet again, that he
is still the best leader for the party, who will be able to revive it and regain
the support of the people," he said.
Gerakan adviser Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik said there was no doubt that Dr Koh, whom
he picked as his successor, was the most suitable person to lead in efforts to
rehabilitate the party.
"Dr Koh is the type of person who can argue and articulate well. We need this
kind of leadership under the present situation. It is good that he took up the
challenge for the debate," he said.
For Selangor Gerakan chief Datuk Lum Wen Keong, Dr Koh's ability to revive the
party is unquestionable but to him, more importantly is the acting president's
ability to bring back the unity in the party.
"Gerakan was formed by former ex-labour party members. How can we go back to the
roots of our founding days? The problem is that the opposition parties managed
to unite the NGOs, think-tank groups and project their multi-racial stance.
"We need to go back to the common thinking of the founding members. We are
talking about openness and not about changing that. Dr Koh is the best person to
do that at the moment, just like Tun (Dr Lim) who took the party to new
heights," he said.
A political analyst, however, opined that Dr Koh needed to do more than just
appearing on a 'live' television debate as he should answer most of the
fundamental questions concerning the party before talking about reforming it.
Khoo Kay Peng, the former director of Gerakan's think-tank, Socio-Economic
Development and Research Institute or SEDAR, said the party's leadership must
first provide an answer to a very important but most basic question:
What is Gerakan's stance in communal politics?
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