Aspiring Gerakan candidates for the next general election will need to sign a pledge before they can be considered for selection by the party's central working committee, said its president Koh Tsu Koon. 

The pledge required that potential candidates (i) are truthful and transparent (ii) are not in financial dilemma or a bankrupt (iii) are committed in their responsibilities and (iv) are willing to support the chosen candidate even if they failed to be selected, he said.     

He said the approach, introduced for the first time, was to avoid any scandal which could adversely affect the party later on, and also to prevent those not selected, from stabbing the party in the back.     

"The present political scenario necessitated the party to choose candidates who had the support of the people - they want younger candidates, and new faces in the lineup," he told reporters after launching the party's Federal Territory Youth and Women's Delegates Conference here today. Koh also revealed that candidates for certain constituencies have already been identified.         

In the last general election in 2008, Gerakan contested in 12 parliamentary constituencies and 31 state constituencies.        

- Bernama