KUALA LUMPUR – Gerak Independent (GI) member Mohd Tawfik Ismail said the departure of Charles Chow from the movement and the latter’s withdrawal from running for the Subang parliamentary seat in the next general election (GE15) is likely due to mounting pressure from critics.
Tawfik said this was because Chow had called to express his “discomfort” with the reaction to his candidacy recently.
The former Sg Benut MP said Chow did not feel the need to continue with the aim to run for Parliament. However, Tawfik indicated that there was no bad blood between GI and Chow.
“Perhaps it is just as well he felt his own inadequacy in facing the challenges of politics,” Tawfik told The Vibes when contacted.
“If you can’t take the heat, best stay out of the kitchen. We will soldier on without him and wish him the best in his other endeavours.”
Charles had made the announcement on his withdrawal from the movement and the next general election in a press statement earlier today, just four days after he was unveiled as an independent candidate for the Subang constituency on February 17.
The movement is also reported to have fielded independent candidates to compete for seats currently held by Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Other personalities in GI include lawyer and activist Siti Kasim, who is expected to run in Batu, and KJ John, who is taking on Petaling Jaya, while Raveentheran Suntheralingam is eyeing Wangsa Maju.
Additionally, Roland Cheng will aim to wrest the Kota Kinabalu seat from DAP. On the other hand, Tawfik had declined to reveal his selected constituency.
With Charles’ departure, Tawfik said GI had no other candidate for Subang. He added that the constituency was chosen by Charles for his own reasons.
“The various comments that we are targeting PH or BN seats misses the point that when Parliament is dissolved for a general election, all seats are vacant and ‘belong’ to no one,” Tawfik said.
“Supporters of democracy would welcome a choice and GI is there for that reason. GI is an independent movement. We are not a political party to control anyone to come or go.” – The Vibes, February 21, 2022
