GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan president Datuk Dominic Lau's decision to contest in the Bayan Lepas state seat in the state election has not only irked Pas but his own party as well.
Prior to this, Pas had voiced dissatisfaction over Lau being fielded at the Malay-majority seat, stressing that they would not accept a non-Malay candidate.
This is because Pas has been working hard in the area for a long time now, and the sudden move to field Lau, is seen as an attempt to 'sailang' the supposed Pas candidate named for the seat.
But Pas has always been known for its wala' concept to the party leadership and any decision they make and members will ultimately accept his candidacy.
However, such is not the case for Lau's very-own party, Gerakan.
Party members are of the view that Lau should be held responsible if he loses the Bayan Lepas seat, after "parachuting" himself there.
They have called for his resignation as the party president, although the party election was held not too long ago, if he fails to make the cut.
Speaking to the New Straits Times, former Gerakan secretary-general Datuk Liang Teik Meng, who lost to Lau in the party presidency race, expressed hope for Lau to make it.
"However, he (Lau) should relinquish (his post) if he loses.
"Gerakan has failed in garnering the support from non-Muslims under his (Lau) leadership. This can be known from the result of the last general election. I think it remains a challenging task for Gerakan to walk through.
"As the president of Gerakan, he (Lau) must be brave and learn to sacrifice for the party. A sudden parachuting to a Malay-majority seat obviously is not brilliant. The public's reaction tells everything," he said.
According to Lau, no seat should be called as 'safe' and Gerakan has sent a wrong message to voters.
"It is wrong for a president to openly call it a 'safe' seat, which means he has admitted that Gerakan loses the support from non-Muslims.
"Gerakan is a political party which fights for all races, we must be seen to fight for every voter regardless of skin colour.
"If you read the demographic, he (Lau) needs minimum 75 per cent of support from the Malays, which is quite challenging, plus he is facing internal confrontation from Pas," he added.
Liang said even if Lau failed to win the seat, it would not spell the end for Gerakan, not as long as their ideology remains relevant.
"But there may come a time for members to think whether our strategy is right.
"We must also ask: Are our component parties bringing more cons than pros to us?
"Is it time to ask for his resignation?" he said.
Other party leaders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Lau's failure to win the seat will be a clear signal that voters in Bayan Lepas clearly reject a non-Malay and an outsider.
"So, we are really hoping that he will win. This will mean that the Malay voters, no matter who is fielded, will support Perikatan Nasional at all cost," he said.
The leader also said that they had not thought of calling for Lau's resignation as the party election
had just ended.
"Our focus now is the state election," he added.
There are a total of 40 state seats up for grabs in Penang.