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GEORGE TOWN – Former DAP chairman Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang today weighed in on the reported rift in the party's ranks in Penang, remarking that he does not think that differences in opinion could lead to a plot to topple the current Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
The 82-year old veteran said that he could not fathom that such a matter would have occurred in Penang.
"Look here, I may have retired (officially from politics), but if there is such a plot, surely I would have heard about it," he said.
Lim was addressing the audience during a discourse on the book entitled 'Lim Kit Siang: Malaysia First (Volume Two)' at the St Giles Wembley Hotel here.
He and the book's author Kee Thuan Chye were among the panellists.
Also present were the two persons speculated to be at odds with each other – Chow and his predecessor in the chief minister's seat, Lim Guan Eng, who is Kit Siang's eldest son. The event was moderated by Datuk Dr Ooi Kee Beng, the executive director of the think tank Penang Institute.
The 549-page book took 14 consecutive months of daily writing to complete. It is an independent project by Kee with Lim having no say in how it was written.
Elaborating on the Malaysia First slogan, Lim said that the future challenges to the country are based on whether the nation can come together on a united front.
"I have visited China a few times but it does not feel like home to me. When I return to Malaysia, I feel at home. This is where I belong, so I am a Malaysian," he said.
He reiterated that the Malaysian First calling which DAP has espoused is about the solidarity that Malaysians must strive for in a globalised world.
"But it does not mean we will lose our identities as a Malay, Chinese or Indian or others. We will also not lose out religion nor our culture. We must just be united as nation," he added.
According to Lim, the future of the country depends on how Malaysians can be united in the face of adverse challenges, from extremism to the uncertain global economy.
Guan Eng, who is the current chairman of DAP, said that the elder Lim's vision has been for Malaysians to be united so they can share in the country's prosperity.
"The country will not go anywhere if just the Malays or Chinese or Indians are successful. We must believe in a shared prosperity," he said.
Guan Eng stressed that one of the telling legacies that Lim inspired was to never take failure lying down. His father was always rebounding from the trials and tribulations in his political career which spanned over 50 years, he added.
Another example of leadership is in that Lim had never lobbied for any government post despite the party having been under his stewardship after it came to federal power in 2018.
He said that Lim in fact needed to be convinced to accept the Tan Sri title which was bestowed by the country on him last year.
"My father is not wealthy but his richness comes from his dedication to his idealism of a better Malaysia for all," said Guan Eng.
He also paid tribute to his mother Neo Yoke Tee, who stood by Lim all these years despite the fact that he was seldom with the family during the height of managing the party.
He added that Lim also raised DAP from "the dead" after the party was only left with one seat in the Penang assembly in the 1999 general election.
"He never gave up on himself or the party," Guan Eng said. – The Vibes, October 29, 2023.
