Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon is tipped to contest a Parliament seat within the Federal Territories in the next general election, according to party sources.

According to the highly placed sources, Koh, who is Gerakan Federal Territories head, might be fielded either in Batu, Segambut or in Kepong.

penang bn convention 120611 koh tsu koonA source told Malaysiakini that Koh's (left) chances of winning any of the seats are slim as aspiring candidates already doing the spadework there may feel sabotaged.

"There hasn't been a final decision, Koh is the state chair, if he wants to contest, it is up to him and the central working committee (CWC).

"When it comes to the general election, they must think of the candidate's ability to win, and if the CWC feels that Koh is the strongest candidate, then we can't do much," said the source.

Koh was Penang chief minister until his party was totally routed in the state during the 2008 general elections.

Of the ‘Big 4' BN parties, Koh is the only party chief which has yet to step down in the aftermath of the 2008 election.

He is currently under fire from within and without the party, including the Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia.

Hard job maintaining presidency

Monash University political science professor James Chin concurred, saying that no matter where Koh decides to vie, chances of victory for him remain thin.

"The main issue facing Koh is not which seat he will go to, but whether he will survive the presidency before the general election is called.

"The party's top leaders have told him face-to-face to resign and the younger generation of Gerakan members - especially those in Penang - have rejected him outright," said Chin, who went even further to speculate that a move to oust Koh is in the works.

Former Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik is among those who had publicly lambasted his successsor for neglecting party affairs last year.

Although the former has remained off the charts lately it has been widely known that Lim and Koh are no longer on talking terms.

In the 2008 polls, Gerakan contested in 12 parliamentary constituencies and 31 state constituencies.

Koh, who was Penang chief minister from 1990 to 2008, fell along with other component party bigwigs such as the MIC's former president S Samy Vellu and PPP's M Kayveas.

Rough ride ahead for party

Gerakan is bound to hit many more bumps before the general election as the party no longer appears able to fulfill certain needs or demands of some grassroots members, added Chin.

Detractors claim that Koh is a liability to the BN's chances of recapturing Penang from the opposition in the next polls.

Koh being a high-profile personality, electorates would hardly miss out on the declining popularity of Gerakan and the damaging reputation of the president in the media.

Taking chances that rural folk do not follow prevailing political trends is "no longer relevant" in the Malaysia context, said Chin, as Koh is no "small fish" to leap elsewhere.

One of the major issue beleaguering Gerakan is its struggle to break loose from the perception that it was conceding too much to Umno.

"Koh is known to never stand up to Umno... and the voters will make this link. He was already rejected once, and he is not a person with no portfolio to try his luck," said Chin.

Koh has been criticised for failing to rejuvenate his party, gerakan ndc 011109 koh najib keng yaikconcentrating instead on expanding time on photo opportunities with top BN officials.

Meanwhile, a vocal Penang based Gerakan member, Yeap Ban Choon, told Malaysiakini that Koh should seek greener pastures "move south", further from Penang.

"His chances would increase down south where people would still regard him as a gentleman. Old timers in the party who wish to contest in Penang will lose," he said.