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Oct 13: Gerakan perlu bertanggungjawab - Muhyiddin Pucuk pimpinan Parti Gerakan perlu bertanggungjawab terhadap kenyataan sensitif membabitkan kaum Melayu yang dibuat Ketua Wanitanya, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe menerusi satu rancangan televisyen tempatan baru-baru ini.

Oct 13: Jangan wujudkan suasana tidak kondusif dalam BN, kata Hishammuddin
Jangan keterlaluan dalam berpolitik sehingga mengwujudkan suasana yang tidak kondusif sesama parti komponen dalam Barisan Nasional (BN) hanya disebabkan keghairahan mengejar jawatan.

Oct 14: Lian Hoe terus dibidas
Kenyataan Ketua Wanita Gerakan, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe mencerminkan tahap 'kebijaksanaan' yang agak rendah apabila meletakkan orang Melayu di negara ini sebagai pendatang dari Nusantara, kata Setiausaha Satu Gabungan Persatuan Penulis Nasional.

Oct 14: Gerakan perlu kenakan tindakan
Pucuk pimpinan Gerakan harus menilai tindakan yang perlu diambil ke atas Ketua Wanita Gerakan, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe yang mengeluarkan kenyataan mempertikaikan asal usul kaum Melayu di negara ini ketika berucap pada persidangan pada persidangan parti itu Jumaat lalu, kata Ketua Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO Johor, Razali Ibrahim.

Oct 14: Khir desak parti ambil tindakan
Bekas Menteri Besar Selangor, Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Khir Toyo mendesak Gerakan mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap Ketua Wanita parti itu, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe berhubung kenyataannya Jumaat lalu yang menyentuh sensitiviti kaum di negara ini.

Oct 15: Penghijrahan Melayu dalam zon budaya sendiri
Orang Melayu di negara ini sama sekali tidak boleh dianggap sebagai pendatang dari kepulauan Nusantara kerana penghijrahan mereka berlaku dalam zon budaya sendiri, kata pengkaji tamadun Melayu, Mohd. Arof Ishak.

Oct 15: Gerakan perlu perjelas
Ucapan Datuk Tan Lian Hoe, Ketua Wanita Gerakan baru-baru ini, walaupun sungguh mengecewakan tetapi tidak begitu memeranjatkan, lebih-lebih lagi jika dikaji kecenderungan pemimpin-pemimpin dari parti tersebut yang telah membuat kenyataan demi kenyataan membelakangi saranan yang telah dibuat oleh Perdana Menteri... (Letter to Editor) Dr. Faizal Tajuddin, Pasir Salak.

Oct 15: Lian Hoe diminta berundur
Ketua Wanita Gerakan, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe dicadangkan supaya berundur daripada pentadbiran kerajaan jika beliau tidak memahami sejarah dan cuba mencari populariti dengan menyentuh sentimen perkauman di negara ini, Ketua UMNO Bahagian Cheras, Datuk Syed Ali Alhabshee berkata.

Oct 15: Timbalan menteri usah bangkitkan kemarahan Melayu
Ketua Wanita Gerakan, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe tidak wajar membangkitkan kemarahan orang Melayu dengan menyamakan asal usul orang Melayu dengan asal usul setiap kaum di negara ini, kata Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Datuk Khaled Nordin.

Oct 15: Ingat fakta sejarah Tanah Melayu
KENYATAAN Ketua Wanita Gerakan, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe telah mengundang kontroversi. Pertama, berdasarkan sejarah kata beliau, orang Melayu adalah juga pendatang sama seperti orang Cina dan India. Kedua, dengan nada sinis beliau menyindir UMNO bahawa parti Gerakan selama ini berada dalam telunjuk UMNO. Gerakan tidak mempunyai suara dalam menentukan keputusan kerajaan... by Op-Ed writer, Muslim-convert Mohd Ridhuan Te Abdullah.

Oct 16: Jangan cetus sentimen perkauman
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi menegur pemimpin politik supaya tidak sesekali menggunakan sentimen perkauman untuk meraih populariti kerana cara seperti itu tidak membawa apa-apa kebaikan kepada negara. Sepatutnya setelah 51 tahun negara merdeka, pendekatan sedemikian perlu ditinggalkan kerana ia mencerminkan kekosongan idea pemimpin itu dalam berpolitik.

Perdana Menteri berkata sedemikian ketika diminta mengulas sama ada Barisan Nasional (BN) bercadang mengenakan tindakan terhadap Ketua Wanita Gerakan, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe pada perasmian Persidangan Perwakilan Pemuda Wanita Gerakan menyamakan asal-usul orang Melayu dengan kaum Cina dan India

What did Lian Hoe say, actually?

What did Lian Hoe say, not elsewhere but at the AGM of her political party within Barisan Nasional, that Utusan Malaysia and Umno-aligned people wanted so much to censure?

Here's an excerpt of what the media reported on her speech:

If Barisan Nasional partners are willing to rid themselves of their self importance and fight for all Malaysians, Gerakan will remain true to the ruling coalition, said Gerakan Wanita chief Datuk Tan Lian Hoe.

In her speech at the 21st Gerakan Wanita national delegates conference, she said the party would rise with the people to bring positive changes to the country.

Tan said some leaders in the ruling coalition had chosen to forget that "everyone is a Malaysian, irrespective of race".

"We are not squatters. Our origins are the same -- the Malays come from the Malay islands in Nusantara, the Chinese from China and the Indians from India. So if you don't know our history, don't talk about it.

"The Orang Asli are the true people of this land, but unfortunately, they continue to be sidelined," she said in a pointed reference to the remarks made by Umno's Datuk Ahmad Ismail in the run-up to the Permatang Pauh by-election recently that the Chinese were squatters.

She called on leaders not to abuse or twist historical facts and stoke racial sentiment to gain popularity and win votes.

"We don't want third-class leaders who divide and rule. This will create chaos, erode our unity and cause conflict among the races."

Tan said the dismal performance of the BN in the general election was a bitter pill to swallow, but efforts must be made to find out the cause.

"It is only fair for us to admit our weaknesses, where we are seen as not being brave enough to voice our opinions within the BN.

"We are regarded as being weak and not having lived up to our role in making changes within the coalition because we are under the thumb of Umno and are being manipulated by Umno leaders and members.

"We continue to be stepped on, humiliated by our friends in the BN and this is the partnership we talk about in BN."

She added that despite the stark reality of the March 8 election, there were still leaders and members within the BN who were thumping their chest with pride and playing the race card and ever-present Malay supremacy issue.

"Power-crazy members and internal power struggles mar the work that is supposed to be done for the people, especially the poor.

"We have forgotten our roots, we argue and debate, we forget the opposition made headway not because of their strength, but because of internal politicking within the BN."

She said that corruption, abuse of power, crimes against women and children, rising price of goods, problems with the judiciary, global economic crisis and other issues that deserved attention continued to be ignored.

Is that the bitter pill that Umno and Utusan Malaysia can't swallow.

Thus far, none of the Gerakan senior leaders, including its newly ordained president Dr Koh Tsu Koon, had come to the fore to defend Lian Hoe. As far as I can see, there's only one former colleague of hers who recorded, a meek voice at best, that Lian Hoe is 'A Beacon of Hope for Gerakan's Women'.

Henceforth, Lian Hoe was left on her own devices to defend her stand. She was quoted as saying in Utusan Malaysia on October 15:

‘Dapatkan penjelasan terus daripada saya’

Ketua Wanita Gerakan, Datuk Tan Lian Hoe meminta agar mana-mana pihak yang tersinggung dengan kenyataan beliau mengenai asal usul orang Melayu di negara ini, mendapatkan penjelasan terus daripadanya mengenai isu itu.

Katanya, beliau menyedari mengenai perkataan kepulauan Nusantara termasuk Tanah Melayu.

‘‘Saya berharap masyarakat umum tidak terpengaruh dengan berita yang dilaporkan daripada ucapan saya semasa persidangan perwakilan Wanita Gerakan pada 10 Oktober lalu,’’ kata beliau dalam kenyataannya di sini hari ini. [...]

Katanya, dalam kenyataannya itu, beliau tidak perlu menjelaskan mengenai ucapan sebenar yang dibuat pada persidangan itu.

While Tsu Koon has managed to scuttle grassroot sentiments and calmed them to remain within BN until Najib announces his new cabinet line-up post March 2009, here's one Op-Ed in Nut Graph that asks: Who you calling chicken?