Milestone
End of March 2008, deputy secretary-general of Gerakan Datuk Lee Kah Choon had announced his resignation from all Gerakan posts, including as the deputy secretary-general and a member of the party’s two decision-making bodies, the Central Committee (CC) and the Central Working Committee (CWC), after its poor performance in the March 8 general election. Lee was also one of the speculated candidates to take over post of Chief Minister of the State of Penang before the 12th general election. The other two candidates were Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan and Teng Chang Yeow.
On April 23, 2008, Lee accepted the appointment to posts in two Penang state government agencies as director of Penang Development Corporation PDC and InvestPenang, also executive committee chairman of InvestPenang. Later, Lee quits the party to complete his “total withdrawal” from politics and focusing on serving society as a citizen.
On May 12, 2008, former Gerakan vice-president and Wanita national chairman Datuk Rhina Bhar quit the party after 30 years, citing racial bias in the leadership. Rhina claims that the party is a multiracial party but of late has been making many racist remarks. She hit out at former President Lim Keng Yaik for practicing double standards and Acting President Dr. Koh Tsu Koon for not fielding any Indian candidates in the recent general elections.
On May 29, 2008, The Federal Territory Gerakan chief and former Deputy Land and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong became the second Gerakan leader to take up a post with an Opposition-led state government. Dr Tan was named as co-chairman of Selangor's special task force on land issues. Dr Tan said he joined politics to serve the people and country and the post provides him the chance to continue this work while Gerakan feels he has no value in terms of serving the party and the people.
On September 6, 2008, Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong announced that he had joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) of Pakatan Rakyat. Dr Tan said he sent his resignation letter to the Gerakan secretary-general Datuk Seri Chia Kwang Chye on September 5, 2008. Beforehand, his membership was suspended by Gerakan in May 2008 when he accepted a position in the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat government.
On August 18, 2008, another Gerakan prominent leader, Datuk Dr Toh Kin Woon has quit the party and, by extension, the BN. Dr Toh voiced his support for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in the Permatang Pauh by-election the day before he quits the party. Dr Toh was also the party central committee member and Chairman of Gerakan Economic and Research Bureau before he quits the party. Dr Toh said he will not join any political party at the moment and would focus more on civil society work.
Read more about this topic: Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia
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“Every milestone of a firstborn is scrutinized, photographed, recorded, replayed, and retold by doting parents to admiring relatives and disinterested friends. . . . While subsequent children will strive to keep pace with siblings a few years their senior, the firstborn will always have a seemingly Herculean task of emulating his adult parents.”
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