PARTY insiders in Penang have expressed concern after a sharp rebuke that took place between Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and his predecessor, Lim Guan Eng, on the last day of the state legislative sitting recently.
With a general election on the horizon, they said that DAP, the lead party here, needs to work "overtime" to soothe the rift that has been manifesting itself throughout Chow's tenure for close to a decade.
The rift emerged after Chow apparently chose to ignore ‘advice’ from Lim to his successor since 2018, especially when he questioned the chief minister's decision to follow the civil service recommendation for a steep increase in quit rent rates earlier this year.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook, whose name is now touted to contest in Penang as a "compromised" chief minister candidate, was forced to intervene and called the two leaders to Kuala Lumpur for a mediation session over their differences.
Insiders said that Lim was strategic in trying to send a message that all is not well with Chow's administration when he chose to question the latter at the start of the assembly over the proposed quit rent and water tariff hikes when the country was embroiled in a living costs crisis due to the Middle East conflict.
Chow was also rebuked earlier for the falling revenue of the state, the performance of the Penang Development Corporation and the rise in living costs.
The tone of the rift was rather unsettling to the other government backbenchers here when Chow told Lim to "sit down" in a video clip, which has apparently gone viral.
The sharp exchange of words, although brief, was a telling factor to the state of affairs in Penang, said some veteran DAP insiders.
The exchange took place during Chow’s winding-up speech as he replied to questions about PDC's handling of the proposed Batu Kawan Industrial Park II project in Byram, Batu Kawan.
State Speaker Datuk Seri Law Choo Kiang was forced to intervene and urged both sides to move on, citing that Chow had already replied.
The project sees PDC having to call for a second request for proposal (RFP) after the first, although awarded, was voided after the developer could not fulfil certain conditions under the RFP.
Chow said PDC decided not to proceed with a previous RM818 million offer by an IJM-Aspen consortium because the bidder failed to comply with five of nine key conditions of the RFP.
Lim had asked Chow to detail which companies had applied under the latest RFP, which one was successful, and why the second RFP did not proceed.
Chow evaded the question but said that if Lim wanted the PDC and state government to accept the IJM-Aspen offer despite the conditions he had explained, they could not do so.
Lim denied this, saying he was not asking Penang to follow any company’s demands, but only for the second RFP to be explained clearly in the interest of accountability.
Lim then said some reports had described the matter as its “Turkey of the Year”, and that this had affected Penang’s image.
Chow shot back while thumping his table: “You believe reports, but not your comrade. Sit down!”
Lim replied that Chow need not become emotional, saying the state should explain the facts if the report was wrong.
Insiders said that the rift may cause DAP to lose some seats in Penang because the voters have become increasingly disillusioned with the government of the day, as their struggles to cope with a hostile economic environment continued unabated.
Both Chow and Lim need to admit that the projects they have bragged about have yet to be completed, and what voters want is for their problems to be resolved now, not in the future, said party veterans. - May 15, 2026.
