THE former political secretary to DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng wants the party to revert to its original battle cry of Competency, Accountability and Transparency (CAT) as he marked the 18th anniversary of the party capturing Penang.
Ng Wei Aik, the former Tanjong Member of Parliament, said that DAP must revive its vigour while championing its original struggle to regain a momentum lost after it became embroiled in ‘other matters’ in the past few years.
"We must bring back the CAT governance principles. We must dare to reform the system, allow civil servants to face the people directly, and rediscover the passion and momentum for reforms that we once had."
Ng, who served as Lim's political secretary from 2008 until 2012, was a former journalist who was drawn to the DAP's struggle.
Upon returning to his home state of Penang, Ng became the second echelon party leader before he was dropped before the 2013 general election, as DAP wanted to accommodate new leaders such as the present Tanjong MP Lim Hui Ling.
Now a critic of state policies, Ng took to social media yesterday to mark the 18th anniversary, citing that the party needs reforms to stay relevant in the growing, rough and tumble world of state politics.
It is an open secret that the party is nursing an internal rift over state policies, an element which Guan Eng's successor Chow Kon Yeow is struggling to cope.
Even the all-encompassing party secretary - general Anthony Loke Siew Fook, is said to be clueless about how the party overcomes the internal differences.
While recalling how DAP came into power in Penang close to two decades ago, Ng, who is now a property management specialist, said that back then, the DAP could not hire bodyguards, so he was assigned as the temporary one.
"When I arrived at the operations room, there actually weren’t many people, and the atmosphere wasn’t particularly tense. There were probably one or two journalists on standby, and I simply accepted an interview."
He recalled how he had broken down during an interview with the Penang media after it was apparent that DAP won 19 state seats in Penang in 2008.
"Victory is wonderful. It was my first time contesting an election and my first victory. I had begun preparing two years earlier, not to ensure my victory, but for the DAP team to win, and have the chance to become the governing party."
Ng described that his political career has careened to a halt somewhat, but he remains committed to the DAP's original cause of reforming how the state governs.
"Even though I have yet to receive any pension after my tenure as both an assemblyman and Member of Parliament, I have never regretted my decision."
"When I look at how Penang DAP once made the people proud, and then see the confusion and indifference among the same people today, I think this is the moment for the DAP to readjust itself."
Voters here want to support DAP, but the party cannot take such support for granted.
"For the past 18 years, Penangites have supported the DAP unconditionally - are they supposed to just watch as the state government keeps raising water tariffs, assessment rates, and quit rents?" said Ng.
Besides Ng, others who posted remembrances to mark the anniversary, included Wong Hon Wai, who had replaced Ng as Guan Eng's political secretary until 2018, Jeffrey Chew Gim Eam, the former special officer of Guan Eng, who now leads the Penang FA football club as its general manager and former Bukit Bendera Member of Parliament Liew Chin Tong, who is also the Deputy Finance Minister. - March 9, 2026.
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