KOTA BAHARU, Sept 5 - Gerakan will review its position in Barisan Nasional (BN) if the component parties, especially Umno, fail to bring about change so as to restore people's confidence in the ruling coalition, says acting party president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.
Stressing that Gerakan was no "yes man" party, Koh, however, said the party would not be hasty and would give a "reasonable" time before taking any action.
He said Gerakan would continue to demand for reforms and change in BN but if the efforts failed, the party would review its position in BN.
"We won't be hasty in our actions. We are a responsible party, so the time frame given will be reasonable before taking action," he told reporters after opening the Kelantan Gerakan delegates' conference, here today.
Koh, who is also former Penang Chief Minister, said BN's symbol, the scale, which represented justice and unity for all races, must be imbibed by all BN component parties.
Koh said what Gerakan wanted was a change in attitude and approach, as well as reviving the spirit of consultation that was fairer among the BN components so that all the parties' voices would be heard and taken into consideration for the BN agenda.
"There needs to be a change in many other aspects. The BN's symbol of the scale denotes fairness and equality, and this needs to be put into practice in all fields. This is the original spirit of BN, but perhaps after some time because we are so busy with our things and think more about ourselves, we forget (about this spirit)."
He said initial efforts had been made by Gerakan to bring about change in BN but it was still too early to see the results.
"We will give a reasonable time frame, then we will see the situation," he added.
However, Koh admitted that change had started happening in BN but Gerakan thought it was still not enough.
"We in the BN Supreme Council and Management Committee had been meeting more often in the last five months compared with five years ago.
"This is a good start. We discussed many issues which need to see changes but these cannot happen in one or two months," he said.
Koh said Gerakan also wanted to see closer and more genuine cooperation among the BN component parties.
He said BN leaders also needed to listen to the voices of the people, including the voices of dissatisfaction which had begun to be heard from within BN itself.
"It has not been easy for me to deal with this. The people's voice must be considered. So, we want to demand for genuine change in BN and its component parties, and we would cooperate to achieve this," he added. - Bernama
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