A former reformasi supporter today led a group of 10 youth leaders to join Gerakan at the party's national delegates conference today.

Stephen Doss, who helped raise funds for the legal defence of reformasi demonstrators arrested three years ago, submitted his membership application to Gerakan deputy chief Kerk Choo Ting after the opening ceremony of the party's Youth and Women's wing annual meeting.

According to the ex-student leader, Gerakan is a 'model party' which should be emulated by other political parties in the country as it advocates non-racial politics.

"I see Gerakan leading Barisan Nasional towards the creation of a single multi-ethnic party," said Doss, who was a former student of Keadilan deputy leader Dr Chandra Muzaffar in Universiti Malaya.

He hoped one day the leaders of the nation would be chosen not because of skin colour, but because of their ability and performance.

Doss, who is currently president of youth group Persatuan Pemuda Negara Malaysia, also hoped that he would be able to get 80 percent of his organisation's members to join Gerakan.

Terrorism now a serious issue

Meanwhile, Kerk, who had earlier officially opened the party's national youth and women conference at Wisma PGRM in Kuala Lumpur, said that the issues of "terrorism and extremism" are now more serious than racial issues.

He explained that although terrorism in Malaysia is not as bad as the situation in the United States following the attacks on the New York's World Trade Center and Washington's Pentagon, the government must control the situation.

Apart from the issues of terrorism and religious extremism, the party's annual conference over the weekend will discuss the country's economic downturn and Gerakan's ties with other BN component parties.

Gerakan Youth chief Teng Chang Yeow, in his opening speech today, suggested that female party members under the age of 45 be absorbed into the youth wing.

"We feel strongly that they (the young women) share the same views affecting the youths like us," Teng said in justifying the reason for the call.

He, however, added that it is up to the grassroots to debate the pros and cons of implementing the idea. Currently all female members are automatically part of the women wing regardless of age.

When asked to comment about the suggestion, Gerakan women chief Kee Phaik Cheen expressed her disagreement to the idea.

According to her, the women's wing would only have 30 per cent of its current membership as most of them are below the age of 45.

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