PENANG DAP chairman Steven Sim Chee Keong has publicly identified two senior party figures as potential successors to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, signalling early manoeuvring within the ruling coalition ahead of the latter’s mandatory departure after two terms.
Sim, 43, named state DAP secretary and Deputy Women, Family and Social Development Minister Lim Hui Ying, 63, and state DAP vice-chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin, 49, as individuals he considers suitable for the post, provided Pakatan Harapan retains control of the state for a fifth consecutive term.
He made the remarks when asked during an annual Lunar New Year visit to media organisations in Penang who, apart from himself, possessed the calibre to assume the chief ministership once the 67-year-old Chow steps aside.
Sim responded that Lim and Yeoh were among those fit for consideration, while stressing that the ultimate decision rests with the party leadership. He did not elaborate further.
His intervention comes amid mounting speculation of a possible early general election, with Melaka and Johor scheduled to hold state polls later in 2026 or early next year, fuelling broader political calculations.
Lim Hui Ying, the younger sister of former chief minister Lim Guan Eng, is a long-standing party figure.
The daughter of DAP founding member Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang, she entered frontline politics at a time when her brother was facing corruption-related court proceedings.
Since Pakatan Harapan, led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, formed a national unity government with Barisan Nasional, Lim has held several deputy ministerial portfolios.
She began as Deputy Education Minister, was later appointed Deputy Finance Minister, and now serves in the Women, Family and Social Development Ministry.
She is credited with strengthening the Penang DAP’s organisational machinery, contributing to the party’s clean sweep of all 19 state and seven parliamentary seats it contested in both the 2018 and 2022 elections.
Yeoh Soon Hin, meanwhile, is regarded as a close ally of Chow.
He stepped aside from contesting the 2023 state election at the party’s request and was subsequently appointed chairman of the Penang Port Commission and deputy chairman of the Tourism Malaysia board.
Under his stewardship, Penang’s tourism sector has been widely viewed as recovering steadily from the severe downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Party veterans suggested Sim’s public naming of potential contenders was a calculated move.
“Sim was calling out potential rivals to the post, but a dark horse may also emerge. If the party is unsettled in Penang, an outsider may be roped into head the state. This may be the only way to resolve any conflict from surfacing over who should lead Penang,” said a veteran.
Sim himself was recently appointed Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister, becoming the first non-Malay to helm the portfolio.
Both he and Lim were reshuffled into new ministerial roles in recent months, a development that some within party circles interpreted as a diminution in influence, given that the ministries are not considered among the most senior in the federal hierarchy.
While Chow has yet to signal his preferred successor, Sim’s remarks have placed the question of leadership transition squarely into the public domain, underscoring the delicate balance of party dynamics in one of Pakatan Harapan’s most secure strongholds. - February 12, 2026
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