From:
Date: 03 Dec 1999
Time: 03:08:39
More than 200 Gerakan veterans yesterday called on the Prime Minister to "change the state government" in an apparent crisis within the state party. The veterans claimed that they and their 2,000 supporters--all members of Gerakan--would quit the party if they were ignored.
They made the call at a gathering to show support for assemblymen Lim Chien Aun and Lim Boo Chang who resigned from the party earlier yesterday evening.
Claiming to be veterans and members from 20 branches, they gathered at the Berjaya George Town Hotel ballroom to express support for the two Lims.
Boo Chang's father, Datuk Lim Ee Heong, said at the gathering that the state party leadership had killed five birds with one stone--Dr Goh Cheng Teik, Datuk Dr Kang Chin Seng, Datuk Joseph Chong, Chien Aun and his son.
Former state Gerakan chairman Datuk Tan Gim Hwa in turn urged the Barisan Nasional leadership to restructure the state government.
Goik Hock Lye, the chief minister's former political secretary, said that about 2,000 members including party veterans and founder members, were expected to resign very soon.
He said the members felt it was time to change the state party leadership and "there was no better time than now for members to resign."
"There is no unity and we feel it is wise that we leave the party," he told a press conference at the hotel.
"We feel we cannot achieve our objective of a fair and just Malaysian Malaysia with the present state and national leadership of the party," he said.
Goik accused the leadership of practising favouritism and subscribing to factionalism in the party.
He said it was a sad day that such an event had happened because they had lost confidence in the party leadership at both state and federal level.