It's utter nonsense! This was the reaction of Gerakan's newly elected Youth deputy chief Lim Si Pin to the allegation that he rose up the ranks because of his father's influence.

Lim is the only son of veteran party president and government minister Dr Lim Keng Yaik.

Yesterday, Gerakan vice-president Dr Tan Kee Kwong ( pix ) claimed that Si Pin had not contributed much to the party but his father had been instrumental in promoting him.

"What Tan said was utter nonsense. Every statement he made was flawed," Si Pin was quoted as saying in a Bernama report.

Tan had also claimed that many members were dissatisfied with Si Pin's performance after he was appointed as the party's Setiawangsa division pro-tem chief in 2003.

He said Si Pin resigned a year later as he was busy with his business.

Get the facts right

Clarifying this, Si Pin said he was appointed head of Setiawangsa division in the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory by Tan without consultation but by compulsion.

"Therefore, I rejected the appointment not after one year but three months later as he joined Gerakan in 1996 in the Batu division and worked closely with division chief Ng Lip Yong.

"The reason I turned down the appointment was because I received information that it was a trap Tan set for me to fall into as till to date all the members from Setiawangsa are aligned to him," he added.

He said Tan should not take potshots at him as he was "so small and so low in the party hierarchy that he shouldn't be like an elephant stepping on a little ant".

"I am not in business as claimed by Tan. He got his facts all wrong. To date, I am still a 9am to 5pm paid staff of a private financial institution.

"If Tan cannot get his facts correct, I can show him my job appointment," he added

Si Pin said he was disappointed with Tan who was given the Segambut parliamentary seat in the 1995 general election and later made a deputy minister "amidst other more qualified and capable leaders" but yet he was ungrateful to the party leadership.