KUALA LUMPUR – Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau today confirmed that his party is now part of the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
Speaking to The Vibes, Lau said he met Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also PN chairman, at the latter’s office about 12.30pm today to receive the acceptance letter.
“Yes, I’ve received the letter. I was at the Prime Minister’s Office just now. The letter was given to me by the PN chairman and in the presence of secretary-general (Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin),” said Lau.
He added that Gerakan’s decision to join the PN bandwagon was made last year in December by its central working committee and central committee members. Its application was also made last year.
On the party’s future in PN, Lau said it will still focus on working to wrest back its former stronghold of Penang from federal opposition party DAP, which has turned the northern state into an unassailable fortress since 2008.
Gerakan had led the Penang government from 1969 to 2008.
“Gerakan is a non-ethnic political party and our focus will be on ‘keMalaysiaan’ and treating all Malaysians as the children of this country.
“Moderation will be our direction and that is the role we are going to play.
“We have already declared that Penang is our front-line state and we will focus on the state. Also, now with PN, we have to focus on our own structure, on the branches and divisions to prepare them for the next general election,” Lau said.
Muhyiddin later took to Facebook to say Gerakan's participation as a member of the coalition was unanimously approved by the PN supreme council.
He said the move will strengthen PN as a coalition representing multiracial Malaysia.
“I very much welcome Gerakan's participation in PN. PN will continue to be committed to building a peaceful, developed, prosperous and stable Malaysia,” he said. – The Vibes, February 11, 2021
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