Why Gerak Independent won’t work with PKR

Why Gerak Independent won’t work with PKR



From Siti Kasim

I understand the concerns of many of you. I have been accused of many things, including being a Trojan horse for some political parties, funded by some political people just to split votes among Pakatan Harapan supporters.

I have been called a murtad and a betrayer of my own race just because I want equality for all Malaysians and separation of religion and state. The federal government has no business in managing religion. I have condemned religious authorities and figures for their actions which are not acceptable in this day and age and are against our Federal Constitution.

Let me ask my friends how many of these PH MPs have stood up for you, especially from PKR and Amanah, on the above matters? Just look at the case of Loh Siew Hong and the unilateral conversion of her children. How many of these PH MPs spoke up for her?

We are not against any political party. We are against the systemic problems in our country. We do not see any political will from any of the sides, be it PH or Barisan Nasional or Perikatan Nasional.

We have seen how political parties or party whips work in the system. Lest you forget what happened during the tabling of the budget in 2020, when PH could have rejected the budget and a vote of no confidence could have happened. Its political warlords told them not to vote against it and all MPs under PH followed the instruction.

This is the dilemma we have within our political party system. Even good MPs are unable to vote following their conscience or what their constituents would want. They have to follow the party bosses. Until and unless we have good leadership, helmed by one who does not have a personal agenda or is busy fighting to be the next prime minister, we can never get the change we seek.

If PH is as noble as you all wish it to be, Gerak Independent (GI) would not have existed. We are doing this as a national service for our country. If you want to accuse us or suspect us of being the bad guys, there is nothing I can do. I can only say that those who have been watching me will know I have been consistent throughout my activism as a Malaysian or as a lawyer. I only want the best for our country and for all Malaysians.

A soul mate, who is not a politician but just an ordinary hardworking businessman, shares the same vision as mine and decided to put his money where his mouth is. He has been footing nearly all of the costs so far. That is how much he believes in me and us as Malaysians. On top of that, we have volunteers who worked hard on this project. None of us are paid, except for one staff from Maju Malaysia who is helping to manage GI.

And you accuse us of trying to bring down your beloved PH? Just look at the Johor elections. Why do you think PKR went on its own (using its own symbol)? Why did DAP and Amanah give up six seats to Muda, but none from PKR? Think about it.

The truth is, we are talking to Muda, Warisan and DAP. We are not interested in PKR because we know how (it behaves). I have seen how they treated Parti Sosialis Malaysia in previous elections. We are not wasting time talking to people who only think about themselves but not about the people. The Johor elections prove this. I am not surprised it won’t work with Muda.

It is not true that only political parties can form a government. A coalition of like-minded people, including political parties and independents, can form a government. Who knows, GI may well just be the decision maker on who forms a government if there is no clear majority. Who do you think we will go with? Clearly, parties that only have the rakyat at heart will win our vote.

So, there you go. Time for a different paradigm, people. If you share my vision, it is time to vote for the person rather than the political party. We need good people in Parliament to change the systemic problems we have. Only Parliament can change them. Education, separation of powers, MA63, equality for all – all of these are Gerak Independent’s pillars.

If you are still not convinced, this is democracy, after all. We are free to choose who we want at the voting booth.



Siti Kasim is a human rights lawyer and activist and a member of the Gerak Independent group.