While the victory of a female non-Chinese lawyer, Rhina Bhar in the women's wing of the Chinese-predominated multi-ethnic Gerakan was a real surprise, the return of the incumbent deputy president of the national committee, lawyer Kerk Choo Ting has been widely expected.

Kerk garnered 892 votes against his challenger, Siew Kok Kan who obtained 368 votes. Translated into percentage, the relative or proportional strengths between Kerk and Siew are 70.8 percent to:29.2 percent. What do the results show or indicate?

From the contest of deputy presidency, the sign is unmistakable. A significant or at least noticeable number of voting delegates was not happy with Kerk, and they voted for Siew in protest. The 29.2 percent protest votes could also come secretly from some overzealous supporters of Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon although Koh as well as president, Dr Lim Keng Yaik had publicly expressed their support for Kerk.

The result has certainly paved the way for Koh to take on Kerk in the post-Lim period, if Koh harbours the ambition to become president of the party.

Siew, meanwhile, can take pride in the fact that, despite all the odds against him as a rebel who was seen by conservatives to be 'rocking the boat', and without the political aura and material advantages of incumbency, he still managed to gain 29.2 percent support of the national delegates to serve as a humbling check and balance against Kerk's power and influence.

In any case, the return of Kerk can in no way be interpreted as an ideological victory of multiracialism or multiculturalism. Kerk has in fact always been regarded as the 'Chinese soul' in the Chinese-predominated multi-ethnic party that competes with the mono-ethnic Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) for Chinese legitimacy and 'correctness' within the Umno-dominated National Front.