DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng dismissed accusations of a “Lim dynasty,” pointing out that such claims were absent when he and his father, Lim Kit Siang, were imprisoned for their political struggles.
“He was imprisoned twice for his political beliefs and struggles for justice. But yet some make accusations against him of wanting to create a Lim dynasty,” Guan Eng said at a dinner celebrating Kit Siang’s 84th birthday, as reported by Free Malaysia Today.
Kit Siang was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in 1969 and 1987, while Guan Eng himself was also held under the ISA in 1987 and later sentenced to 18 months in prison in 1998 on sedition charges, which disqualified him from politics until 2008.
Critics cite the family’s long-held influence over DAP from 1970 to 2022, with the accusation persisting as Guan Eng’s sister, Hui Ying, now serves as a deputy minister and party leader in Penang.
However, Penang DAP chief Steven Sim defended Kit Siang’s legacy, saying he was “not greedy” and had rejected ministerial positions to allow younger leaders to rise. —Feb 16, 2025
Main image: Utusan Malaysia
