The Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (, commonly abbreviated as GERAKAN or less commonly as PGRM) is a liberal political party in Malaysia. Formed in 1968, Gerakan gained prominence in the 1969 general election when it defeated the ruling Alliance Party in Penang and won the majority of seats in Penang's state legislature. In 1972, Gerakan joined the Alliance Party, which later became Barisan Nasional coalition Party (BN), the ruling coalition of Malaysia until 2018. The party left the BN in 2018 and is currently part of the Perikatan Nasional coalition Party (PN). The party is assisted by an affiliated think tank called SEDAR Institute (Socio-Economic Development And Research Institute). The party is a member of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats. The party's primary source of support comes from the country's ethnic Chinese who constitute 80% of the party's membership, with 15% being Indian, and the remaining spread between Malays and other groups. Gerakan played a dominant role in the Penang State Legislature for nearly four decades from 1969 until 2008. It also enjoyed some success nationally as part of the ruling BN coalition, particularly in the 2004 general election when it won 10 parliamentary seats and 30 state seats. Its fortune declined sharply in the 2008 election. Following the fall of BN in the 2018 general election, Gerakan left the coalition on 23 June 2018. On 11 February 2021, the party officially joined the ruling Perikatan Nasional coalition. Gerakan failed to win any seat in the 2018 and 2022 elections. History Formation In 1959, the leader of Malaysian Chinese Association Dr. Lim Chong Eu resigned his position as president after conflict with UMNO leader Tunku Abdul Rahman over the allocation of seats in the 1959 general election. He left MCA, and later set up the United Democratic Party in 1962. In 1968, UDP was dissolved and its former members, together with the Labour Party and others, joined force to form a new party Gerakan. The six founders of the party were Professor Syed Hussain Alatas, Dr. Tan Chee Khoon, Dr. J.B.A. Peter, Lim Chong Eu, Professor Wang Gungwu, and V. Veerapan. Although the majority of its supporters were Chinese, the party positioned itself as a Malaysian, non-communal party that received some support from the Indians and Malays. Its pro tem president was Professor Syed Hussein Alatas, and later Lim took over the presidency which lasted until 1980. 1969–2007