GEORGE TOWN — DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke was not meddling, but ensuring that the party’s Penang chapter is aligned with the central leadership when he suggested his preference for the state party chief ahead of elections this weekend, political observers said.
Loke’s proposal last week for Human Resources Minister Steven Sim as the state’s DAP chief, and Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying to retain her secretary post, had drawn criticism from former Penang deputy chief minister, P Ramasamy, who accused Loke of trying to influence the outcome of elections this Sunday.
Lim, who is Tanjong MP, is the sister of DAP chairman and former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng.
However, Prof Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) dismissed claims of interference, saying that DAP’s central leadership would want state leaderships to be aligned to them, more so in Penang which DAP has ruled since 2008.
“Rather than calling it (a form of) meddling, it might be seen as the central leadership giving a cue as to whom they would prefer to lead Penang and possibly become next chief minister,” he told Scoop.
Penang DAP will vote on September 22 to elect a new committee for the 2024-2027 term.
Sim and Hui Ying are among 32 people who have received nominations. Current state DAP chief and Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow withdrew from defending the state party chairman’s post, and is also not listed in the nominations.
In DAP’s system, the top 15 candidates with the highest number of votes from delegates will elect from among themselves a new state party chief.
Chow, however, will complete his term as Penang chief minister in 2028, as DAP retained control of the state government in state elections last year.
Echoing Fauzi’s sentiment is Azmi Hassan of Nusantara Strategic Research Academy, who said that Loke was merely making a proposal when he revealed his “menu” in an interview with Chinese-language media.
“If Guan Eng said that (or) maybe the other way around (where Hui Ying is made the state chief), yes, I would say that it is meddling.
“But for Loke to say that, I think this is just a proposal, which I would say, (is) very good (so as) not to make the internal bickering in Penang DAP much worse,” Fauzi told Scoop.
Penang DAP is said to be currently divided into factions – one aligned with Guan Eng and another with Chow. These divisions became evident during last year’s state elections, with claims that Chow’s chosen candidates were sidelined in favour of those associated with Lim.
When asked if Loke could be seen as going against Guan Eng’s faction by suggesting Sim as the state DAP chief, Fauzi said that Loke would be careful not to give such an impression in the interest of party unity.
Azmi, meanwhile, said that “on the surface”, it was not apparent if Loke’s suggestion indicated his favour for any camp.
“(In the end) it all depends on who are the top 15 (leaders) that will be elected into the Penang DAP committee, because they will make the decision who is the state chairman.
“So, if the majority of the top 15 are from Guan Eng’s camp, then I guess Hui Ying will be the chairman, not Sim in this case,” added Azmi.
‘Sim is valuable for Penang DAP’
Both Fauzi and Azmi concurred that Sim, who is also Bukit Mertajam MP, would be an asset for Penang DAP should he be chosen as the state party chief.
This is given the fact that he is well-received by the Malay community and regularly showcases his service to this group on social media.
“I think this is an added bonus for Sim, (which is why) Loke suggested him as (Penang DAP) chief,” added Azmi
Meanwhile, Fauzi also said that Sim would help make Penang DAP more accepted by Malay voters.
He argued that Sim’s good reputation among the community is “extremely important” as DAP needs to defend Penang from the opposition Perikatan Nasional which has made huge inroads in the northern peninsula.
Fauzi also cited the results of the July 6 Sungai Bakap by-election where PN component, PAS, retained the seat with a bigger majority.
“(Plus) Sim has also shown a reasonably commendable performance as the minister of human resources,” he added. – September 17, 2024