There is no resolution to debate whether Gerakan should leave the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition at the party’s national delegates conference next week.

Gerakan secretary-general Chia Kwang Chye said that none of the states have submitted a resolution to debate the issue at the party’s three-day meeting on Oct 10-12.

There has been a clamour among party members for Gerakan to quit BN in protest against the racialist policies of key coalition partner Umno.

At Gerakan’s Federal Territory annual general assembly last weekend, party acting president Dr Koh Tsu Koon said that 60 percent of members wanted the party to leave BN.

The party has seen a number of top leaders defecting to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat in recent months.

Five resolutions up for debate

Though the party’s position in Barisan would not be debated as a resolution, Chia said that the matter might still be brought up by delegates during the conference.

“It doesn’t mean that delegates won’t raise the matter during the debate on the president’s speech. We should leave it to the delegates (to decide),” he told a packed press conference at the party’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

gerakan youth and wanita nomination 031008 chia kwang chye new theme Chia said that the conference would also mark the first time that the debate on the president’s speech would be limited to just one day in order to allow delegates a full day to debate the resolutions which would be tabled.

The five resolutions which have been approved are topics relating to human rights, the economy, education, party affairs and politics.

“We want to allow the delegates to properly debate the five resolutions,” said Chia.

Chia mum on controversies

Chia also refused to entertain any questions regarding his recent hint that his strong ties with party deputy president Dr Teng Hock Nam and acting president Dr Koh Tsu Koon may have soured.

“I have said enough (before). This is not the appropriate forum,” he said, referring to his interview with Bernama yesterday where he described his relationship with Teng and Koh as having “lost its shine or rusted”.

Chia also refused to respond directly to Koh’s suggestion that he ‘take a break’ following the former’s decision not to contest for any post in the upcoming party polls.

“I still play badminton and I go hill climbing. Maybe I look a bit sleepy... I will still continue to serve the party,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chia also unveiled the theme for this year’s conference which reads ‘Satu Hari Gerak Bersama’ (Together we move forward).

He said a total of 2,081 delegates are qualified to vote for national party posts this year with the bulk of them coming from Perak (332 delegates), Johor (330), Selangor (280) and Penang (251).