GERAKAN has warned its allies in Perikatan Nasional (PN) not to pursue religious extremism if they wanted to remain united after its partner PAS stirred up controversy over the alleged funding of Chinese vernacular schools by alcohol companies.
Its deputy president Oh Tong Keong said the party remained committed to various fundraising efforts to keep Chinese vernacular schools afloat, including indirect assistance from alcohol breweries.
“We will consider quitting the opposition PN coalition, if our allies continue to display religious extremism and infringe on the rights of non-Muslims,” Oh said in a statement.
Gerakan remains firm in its support of fundraising efforts for all schools.
A controversy erupted over the format of fundraising for Chinese-language schools after a photograph showed a deputy minister accepting a RM3 million mock cheque bearing a Tiger Beer logo at a recent fundraising event.
The company producing Tiger Beer has said it did not give any money to the school but rather held a concert to raise funds for it.
PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, who is the Pasir Mas MP, had said earlier that PAS might not be able to work with Gerakan at the next general election if its partner maintained its position on the sponsoring of Chinese-language schools by alcohol companies.
He said Gerakan’s stance on the matter was disappointing.
Gerakan president Senator Datuk Seri Dominic Lau said the Education Ministry should not restrict fundraising activities by certain companies in schools if the government does not allocate sufficient funds to all streams of schools.
In a related development, a Gerakan veteran who wanted to remain unnamed has urged the party to quit PN as it is becoming glaringly clear that to hastily win over the Malay-Muslim majority, some political parties resorted to trampling on the rights of minorities.
He said Gerakan needed to return to its roots as a Penang-based party with a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural background.
The veteran said the party could rebound soon as its main rival DAP was displaying signs of stagnation after being in power for over a decade.
“But Gerakan should do it alone instead of been dependent on a coalition, especially if such partnership tends to interfere with our principles and ideology,” he said.
“Gerakan may be an option for the voters, but we must truly represent the needs of the people, especially those affected by the lacklustre policies of the ruling national unity government, of which DAP is part of,” he said.
Gerakan should only consider joining another coalition if the party could win a few seats in the next election, especially in Penang, he added.
“The road back to relevancy is tough and lonely. This is common for any party after a loss in support. But we must do it right to reclaim support,” the veteran said. – July 29, 2024.
