DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook has urged party members to stop speculations on who would be the next Penang chief minister as talk of the next general election looms.
The transport minister singled out deputy secretary-general Steven Sim Chee Keong, saying the Penang DAP chairman should stop name-dropping on who should rightfully be the next Chief Minister in a state regarded as the socialist party's main bastion.
Sim had reportedly cited two names - Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Lim Hui Ying and Tourism Malaysia Board deputy chairperson Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin, as potential successors to Chow Kon Yeow, who is serving his final term as the top executive.
Lim is the youngest daughter of DAP founding member Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang and also a sister to DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng, who is the predecessor to Chow, whereas Yeoh was a senior party leader, who is also made the Penang Port Commission board chairman.
Loke, in his first public remarks on the contentious issue, said that the final decision would come from the high-powered central executive committee (CEC) and not individuals.
In an interview with Oriental Daily's podcast "Critical Landing." Loke pointed out that there will be a final decision made by the central leadership, rather than being proposed publicly by individuals or decided through external parties.
“I want to say publicly that Sim should no longer mention any names, should not discuss them, and should not speculate. It is not his place to speculate either. Although he is the state chairman, such an important position should be decided by the CEC," said Loke.
Sim is also considered one of the candidates for the post because he is now the state DAP chairman and one of the most visible ministers in the cabinet.
Sim was also moved from many ministries since he was made the Deputy Youth and Sports Minister in 2018, having served in Finance, Human Resources and now as the first non-Malay to head the Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Ministry.
"The selection of the leader will be made, but now is not the time to make a decision," said Loke.
He revealed that the party had indeed discussed the succession, but it was not yet time to make a final decision.
Furthermore, Chow remains in office, so DAP must fully support him in fulfilling his duties.
“There is still a Chief Minister in office, and we will definitely support Chow. Everyone must respect that Chow is still the Chief Minister."
He also stated that there will ultimately be "one name" to succeed Chow, but the DAP will only officially announce the candidate after the state legislative assembly is dissolved.
He added that voters do not want to see disputes arising from the selection of the chief minister, and hopes that party leaders will stop mentioning names and focus their energy on addressing livelihood issues that concern the people.
Political observers have concluded that DAP, through Pakatan Harapan (PH), has a tough challenge to defend their three - term hold on Penang because fellow component, PKR, has become weakened while Parti Amanah Nasional has not made major inroads.
PKR lost the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat, which was held by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is the party president and his family since 1982.
DAP, meanwhile, has been riddled by rifts and differences over how it governs Penang, especially of late, over the quit rent rates. - March 13, 2026.
