Guan Eng may not make it, claims former MP

FORMER Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun has not discounted the possibility that DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng may be booted out when the delegates complete their voting at today’s central executive committee (CEC) triennial party elections.

In an interview with the Chinese vernacular - “Nanyang Siang Pau” newspaper, Ooi, who was once the nation’s pioneering micro blogger, said that there are three situations, which are providing an intense headwind against Lim, the former finance minister.

First is that Lim was blamed for sparking a prolonged internal disunity in Penang, which the grassroot delegates refuses to forgive him, said Ooi.

“Penang after all is the crown jewel of the party since the state offers the party the chief minister - ship. They cannot afford an internal bickering.”

Secondly, Ooi said that Lim has not adjusted his leadership style to conform to the collective leadership stance under his successor as secretary – general; Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who is also the transport minister.

Ooi expects Loke to finish among the top candidates in the 30 – member elected CEC.

DAP has a two – tier election process to decide who plays a leadership role in the party.

Firstly, the 65 remaining candidates need to seek a mandate from some 4,000 delegates to decide who qualifies into the 30 – member CEC committee.

Then the 30 – members must decide among themselves who holds what posts before they co –opt their choice of the remaining candidates.

Thirdly, Ooi sees Lim has having miscalculated what Loke and his running mate – Nga Kor Ming, the Housing and Local Government Minister, had called to forge the next “Golden Decade” for the DAP, which means an infusion of younger leaders into key positions.

The veterans also did not comprehend Loke’s vision for a younger and fresher form of leadership to sustain the party’s role as a leading political entity, said Ooi.

Besides been in government at all urbanised states from Penang to Perak to Selangor, Federal Territory, Negri Sembilan and Johor with 40 parliamentarians, who are part of some 100 elected representatives, DAP is also a key partner of the national Madani government.

Ooi, who quit DAP in 2013 after he was dropped as the Jelutong MP, said that despite been relatively young at 64, Lim has been around for ages in DAP because he is the scion of the DAP big brother Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang.

Ooi predicted that Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, the son of another DAP icon – the late Datuk Seri Karpal Singh, may be elevated as party chairman while Nga become his deputy.

The party has one top position vacant as its adviser Tan Kok Wai, has stated that he wishes to quit the position after the CEC elections. - March 16, 2025.