GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has issued a strongly worded press statement rejecting what he described as “inaccurate, unfounded and misleading” claims that he struck out the name of Ng Yee Siang from this year’s list of city councillors for mainland Penang.
Chow said on Wednesday (Feb 11) that he was “startled” by statements from Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng suggesting that Ng, previously a city councillor in the Seberang Perai City Council, had been removed from consideration.
He pointed to official records, letters and minutes of state executive council meetings to show that Ng’s name had never been submitted by Penang DAP in the first place.
“Penang DAP did not nominate Ng for reappointment to any local authority,” Chow said.
He said the nomination list was submitted on Dec 15 last year and was signed by the state DAP secretary, Lim Hui Ying.
The state executive council endorsed the proposed names two days later.
Ng’s name, Chow stressed, was not among them.
He said Lim's claim that he had personally “cut” Ng from the list was inaccurate, baseless and perplexing, and could give rise to negative perceptions and dissatisfaction with the Chief Minister's office.
The controversy flared after Lim publicly voiced dissatisfaction over Ng's non-reappointment, saying that Ng had strong grassroots support and deserved to continue serving.
Lim said he intended to write to the state liaison committee to “seek justice”, framing the episode as one in which service and performance had been overlooked.
This latest public clash between Lim and Chow has been making headlines, particularly in local Chinese-language newspapers.
Under the Local Government Act 1976, the state government makes the final appointment of councillors solely from nominations submitted by political parties and NGOs.
This is not the first time Chow and his predecessor have openly expressed opposing views.
Since Lim stepped down as chief minister in 2018, political observers have noted occasional friction between the two over appointments and state policies.
Since 2024, Chow has held no position in Penang DAP and serves as a committee member of the central liaison committee, while Lim is the DAP national adviser.
Earlier, DAP state chairman Sim Chee Keong urged members to uphold the “Lim Kit Siang spirit” and not treat positions as personal entitlements.
He stressed that deploying party members to public office positions involves an internal party process and that these decisions are not made by any single individual.
