Writing on the wall for Lim dynasty

THE man who was the media’s focus throughout the DAP election campaign, dominated the spotlight until the very end when he survived the toughest fight of his political career.

Lim Guan Eng, 64, hung on at No 26 in the 30-person central executive committee but his sister Lim Hui Ying crashed out despite being Deputy Finance Minister.

Most of the delegates had left by the time the results were announced and Guan Eng looked a little shell-shocked, as though not quite sure what to make of the outcome.

He was probably relieved to have clung on but things are not going to be the same for him from now on.

The writing is on the wall - the Lim family name no longer carries the clout that it used to.

His nemesis and Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who won the No 2 spot in the previous election, plunged to No 19 but it was still a good number of places better than Guan Eng.

Will this stop Guan Eng from undermining Chow in Penang? The answer is blowing in the wind.

What is crystal clear though is that the party does not see Hui Ying as a candidate for the Penang chief minister post which will be a relief for many Penang folk.

Ironically, Gobind Singh Deo, the scion of another famous family, came in at No 1.

It was an amazing repeat of the same top spot he occupied in the last national election and also a reversal of fortune considering that the Digital Minister was booted out in the Selangor DAP election last year.

Is the party sending a signal about how they feel about dynastic politics and nepotism?

For instance, it is probable that some think Gobind and Guan Eng still have their roles to play but one family member in the leadership is fine, two is too much.

Perhaps the surprise of the night was the performance of the women.

Wanita chief Teo Nie Ching swept into the No 3 spot while Puchong MP Yeo Bee Ying took the No 6 spot.

The big stars like Anthony Loke, Nga Kor Ming and Steven Sim came in at No 5, No 11 and No 13, respectively. The trio also looked a little shell-shocked because they are high-profile ministers and chairmen of their respective states.

There is quite a simple explanation for what happened.

In this sort of party elections where there are two camps, a candidate can only do well if they have support from both sides of the divide.

That was why many of the women, who played it safe and drank two cups of tea, as the Chinese saying goes, actually ended with more votes than those who were seen as aligned to this or that camp.

Guan Eng almost lost because the group aligned to the ministerial trio did not vote for him. They were the bigger group and the reason why Guan Eng almost lost at No 26.

On the other hand, the pro-Guan Eng group denied the ministerial trio votes that would have otherwise propelled them into the top tier.

Gobind did so well because he was still aligned to Guan Eng and favoured by the other side.

Likewise Sarawak chief Chong Chien Jen enjoyed support from both sides.

The new CEC is dominated by people in their forties and fifties, which is a good sign for a party that has its eye on the future. The generational shift that began a few years ago is shaping up well.

The intense media coverage of what has been the most fascinating party election in history drew a record 79.51 %, totalling 3,342 delegates.

The tug-of-war between the former and current secretaries-general was also played out on stage during the opening ceremony where Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was the VIP guest.

Guan Eng made an energetic speech arguing that the party must not be a “yes-man” and that it must speak out and be critical. It was seen as a poke at Loke.

He also weighed in on the contributions of the old guards on whom he was reliant for support in the contest.

But it is not easy to take on the sitting secretary-general and the powers of incumbency that come with it. Moreover, Loke is the Transport Minister and has access to the Prime Minister. Everyone could see the comfortable body language between Anwar and Loke.

The other person with whom Anwar has an affinity is Tan Sri Lim Kit Slang who had stood by him when other DAP leaders wanted Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal as Pakatan Harapan’s prime minister candidate in the wake of the Sheraton Move.

They know who they are and that is why they are not in Anwar’s Cabinet.

Loke’s keynote address, which touched on how he intends to introduce a more systematic process on matters like selection of election candidates, went down well with the rank-and-file.

He emphasised that criticism and speaking out must come with finding solutions, something that being in the government has made possible.

For instance, he said he had been prepared to resign had DAP failed to convince the government to withdraw the constitutional amendment that denied automatic citizenship for foundlings.

Loke also went a step further than Guan Eng in acknowledging the role of DAP’s early warriors and even announced an education fund in the name of P. Patto who was one of DAP’s most well-known Indian figures.

To put it simply, the former secretary-general was outclassed by the sitting secretary-general in their opening speeches but in the end, they cancelled out each other when it came to votes.

But as some pointed out, Loke is the winner because those aligned to him form the majority in the new CEC where the secretary-general calls the shots.