Lim Guan Eng loses DAP chairman post after crucial party polls; Anthony Loke remains as secretary-general

New: You can now listen to articles.

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SHAH ALAM: Former Malaysian finance minister Lim Guan Eng has been voted out as chairman of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), and will instead be an adviser to the party.    

Digital minister Gobind Singh Deo has been appointed as the new chairman of the party, while transport minister Anthony Loke retained his position as secretary-general. 

Housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming meanwhile was appointed deputy chairperson of the party.

While the secretary-general is the most powerful position in the party, the DAP chairman wields clout because that person leads a panel of leaders who determine candidates that will stand under the party’s ticket in the national polls and state assembly elections.

The positions were announced on Sunday (Mar 16) night after the party’s newly-elected central executive committee (CEC) – the top decision-making authority – voted for the leadership posts in the party.  

A total of 70 candidates had submitted their names at first for the CEC contest, but six of them pulled out at the last minute on Saturday. The remaining 64 candidates had been vying for 30 positions. 

Some 4,203 delegates from 1,650 branches had been eligible to participate in the vote for the CEC at the DAP party congress held in Selangor, with the members then casting their vote for leadership positions with three-year terms.

Lim managed to keep his place in the party’s CEC by securing the 26th most votes. In another blow to the Lim political dynasty, his sister, deputy finance minister Lim Hui Ying, failed to make the party’s CEC. 

In a press conference on Sunday night after the vote, Loke said that the strength of the party lies in its entire leadership and members.  

“We work as a team. This committee is strong and the new line-up takes into various considerations,” he said, flanked by the party’s new team, including Lim Guan Eng.

Loke, 47, said that the CEC made their decisions on the leadership appointments within 30 minutes.   

At the same press conference, Lim Guan Eng, 64, said that he accepted the decision made by the party members. 

“The future of the party has been decided by its members and not outsiders. We should unite under the new leadership of the party,” he said, when asked how he felt about the results of the vote.

To another question, he said that the moment belonged to Loke and that questions should be posed to the party chief. 

Lim Guan Eng was DAP secretary-general for 17 years until 2022 when he handed over to Loke and became chairman.

Gobind said that the appointment was a big responsibility and thanked his predecessor for all his work for the party. 

“There is a lot to be done and I have told the new team that we need to look forward so that we can strengthen the party…We have to work hard so that we can achieve what is wanted by the people. Let’s move forward,” said Gobind, who received the highest number of votes for the CEC polling.

POLLS’ SIGNIFICANCE

DAP is part of the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Multi-racial in outlook but predominantly Chinese in composition, the DAP draws much of its support from urban voters in big towns and cities across Malaysia.

Political analysts and party leaders have noted that a divided DAP would create its own set of challenges for Anwar, who has been squeezed in a tightrope walk of juggling the interests of four ideologically diverse political coalitions, comprising more than a dozen parties, in his unity government since assuming the premiership in November 2022.

With control of 40 parliamentary seats in the 222-member lower house, DAP is the second-largest after the opposition right-wing Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), with 43 elected representatives. 

Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has 31 seats in Parliament, while PH also consists of Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) and the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation.   

DAP also has 90 seats in the various state assemblies in the country. 

PKR and PAS will also be holding internal party polls in May and September, respectively, but both contests are expected to be tame affairs compared to the intensity gripping the DAP elections.

This year’s DAP congress is keenly watched for the CEC election that pits the Lim political dynasty with younger leaders such as Loke. 

Lim currently holds no position in Anwar’s government. His father Lim Kit Siang was the party’s secretary-general for 30 years and then chairman for another five before retiring from politics in 2022.  

CNA previously reported that the younger leaders are demanding a greater say in DAP’s future amid criticism of political favouritism in the party rank-and-file. 

At the same time, there is a perception that under Loke’s leadership as secretary-general of DAP, the party has become less outspoken and, according to frustrated DAP politicians, more comfortable to play a subservient role in government.

BALANCING SUPPORT AND CRITICISM OF ANWAR GOVERNMENT

Earlier in the day, before voting the CEC began, both Lim Guan Eng and Loke pledged their unwavering support to Anwar as Malaysia’s prime minister but at the same time said that DAP would not be silenced on critical issues. 

Lim told the congress on Sunday morning that DAP was proud that it helped Anwar become Malaysia’s 10th prime minister and would continue supporting him but stressed that DAP was not a “yes-man party”.

“DAP is only a yes-man to our voters and the people of Malaysia,” said Lim.

Meanwhile, Loke spoke of how with the DAP now part of the Anwar administration, its party leaders will continue to speak out to oppose certain policies but will be “respectful” in doing so and focus on finding solutions.

Also present at the congress on Sunday was Anwar and leaders of other parties of PH.

Factions aligned to Lim have argued that he should be allowed to play a prominent role in the party because he remains the only DAP leader willing to speak out about the shortcomings in government and other issues.

In November of last year, Lim had questioned the education ministry’s decision to host officials from the Afghanistan government. 

In February of last year, he had criticised the Gurney Bay project in Penang, saying that it was of shoddy quality and that the government should not be protecting errant contractors and civil servants who failed to do their monitoring and supervision work.   

At the DAP congress on Sunday, he said he hoped that the government would provide additional financial assistance to businesses affected by American president Donald Trump’s tariffs as well as postpone or delay some financial policies that would impose extra monetary burdens.

“We commend the political and institutional reforms that have been implemented by Anwar’s government this year. We hope that economic reforms will be included and accelerated this year to repay our voters’ trust that PH will make Malaysia better for our children,” he said. 

In his speech at the party congress on Sunday morning, Loke said he was aware that there were critics who claimed that since being given ministerial positions, DAP leaders did not dare voice out their opinions on pressing issues.

Loke, 47, however denied this was the case, citing how he had conveyed the party’s opposition to a proposed constitutional amendment to remove abandoned babies’ right to automatic Malaysian citizenship privately to Anwar in a meeting with some other ministers. 

The proposed amendment was later removed.

Loke added that the party had to do things in a different way compared to when it was in the opposition.

“Today, we are in the government. We are not just DAP leaders but political leaders. There are ways to voice out (our concerns), whether through discussions, dialogues and meetings,” he said.

He said they could not threaten the prime minister if they disagreed with any policy.

“The prime minister is a democrat, he will listen to arguments and opinions. When you speak with the prime minister it has to be with skill and art. You have to be respectful when presenting your opinion.

“We are not in the opposition where we can threaten the prime minister and the government. Today, we are in the same ship, and he is our captain,” said Loke.    

Loke also said that DAP wanted the government to push for a 10-year limit to a prime minister’s term in office, as well as the separation of the attorney-general’s chambers and the public prosecutors offices. 

Addressing the DAP congress, Anwar backed the 10-year limit proposal but said that it needed the two-thirds approval of the parliament. 

“It has only been two years and I’m already exhausted. I don’t think I would get past 10 years,” he said. 

Anwar however cautioned that reforms would need time and that they could not be rushed. 

“Among those who are pro-reforms, there are those who are impatient. But these reforms will not succeed if done in haste,” he said.