Lim Guan Eng
Encyclopedia
Lim Guan Eng is the 4th Chief Minister of the State of Penang and Secretary-General of the Malaysian Democratic Action Party
(DAP). He is the son of Lim Kit Siang, Leader of the Opposition
in the Dewan Rakyat
from 1973 to 1999 and 2004 to 2008.
Lim married to Betty Chew Gek Cheng
, a member of the DAP and a state assemblywoman in Malacca
.
, and later the Batu Pahat
Montfort Primary English School. For secondary education, he went to Batu Pahat High School and Malacca High School. He graduated from Monash University
, Australia
in Bachelor of Economics and was a qualified professional accountant by 1983. He was the president of MUISS (Monash University International Student Society).
with a majority of 17,606 votes. He was re-elected in the subsequent 1990 and 1995 general elections, albeit with reduced majority votes. He thus became the first person to be elected for three consecutive terms in Kota Melaka. He was also the first Malacca High School alumnus to achieve this.
After joining the Democratic Action Party, he was appointed as the DAP Socialist Youth Chairman in 1989 and was elected to that post in 1992. In 1995, he was elected as the DAP Deputy Secretary-General. Lim was elected as the party Secretary-General in 2004, and has held the position since.
. Consequently, while the Attorney General
decided not to press charges Rahim Thamby Chik, Lim was charged under Section 4(1) (b) of the Sedition Act 1948
for causing 'disaffection with the administration of justice in Malaysia'. Lim was also charged under Section 8A (1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984
for 'maliciously printing' a pamphlet containing allegedly 'false information' because he had described the alleged rape victim as an 'imprisoned victim' because she was initially detained by Malaysian police without parental consent for 10 days. During the judicial procedure, Lim was quoted saying:
After a series of appeals, Lim was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. He was, however, released after 12 months on August 25, 1999. Due to his incarceration, he was disallowed from standing for election to public office for a period of 5 years, and he was therefore ineligible to contest in the 2004 Malaysian General Election
.
, a DAP Member of Parliament, suggested there was a conspiracy
behind Lim's and Chew's ouster from the committee. Nevertheless, Lim garnered the second highest number of votes (620) at the party's 15th National Congress on August 23, 2008.
, the marriage of convenience coalition of DAP-PKR
-PAS later known as the Pakatan Rakyat
won 29 out of 40 state seats contested, in which DAP is the largest winning party with 19 seats, PKR 9 seats, and PAS 1, and thus defeated the former ruling coalition Barisan Nasional
for the authority to rule Penang for the next five years. Even though, Lim is not a Penangite, as the Secretary-General of DAP, he was nominated to be the next Chief Minister (CM) of Penang replacing long serving former Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon
. Senior DAP leaders of Penang such as Lim Hock Seng, Phee Boon Poh, and Chow Kon Yeow were bypassed and were instead appointed as excos.
. No arrests were made but two men were taken in for questioning. Various BN-backed groups and NGOs continued to make different sorts of protest and lodge police reports as a form of continued harassment.
On March 19, 2008, Chief Minister
Lim Guan Eng announced that the state exco had approved an open tender system for projects exceeding RM50,000. For projects between RM
20,000 and RM
50,000, a balloting system will be introduced and a two-week objection period would be given for both the open tender and balloting systems. This is a stark contrast to BN government's usual way of directly awarding lucrative contracts to companies without any form of open tendering, mostly to shell companies created by connected personnel or BN politicians; a major project, the Penang International Convention Centre(PICC) was nearly launched without open tender. As of 2010, Penang remains the only state in Malaysia that practises a blanket open tendering system.
. Lim Guan Eng insisted he never mentioned Johor, and demanded that Bernama retract their story and issue a formal apology, or face a lawsuit. However, a recording was later revealed by the government controlled television channel, TV3, showing clear evidence of Lim Guan Eng proclaiming that Singaporeans who are in Johor are "likely to be kidnapped". The recording of Lim Guan Eng's remark was made in Singapore. This led Lim Guan Eng to issue a formal apology to the Sultan of Johor.
(周玉清), who is also the State Assemblywoman for Kota Laksamana in Melaka. She is the first serving assemblywoman to be married to a Chief Minister. They have four children.
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Democratic Action Party
The Democratic Action Party, or DAP is a secular, multi-racial, social democratic Malaysian political party.The DAP is one of the three major opposition parties in Malaysia, along with the PKR and PAS, that are seen as electable alternatives to the Barisan Nasional coalition of parties...
(DAP). He is the son of Lim Kit Siang, Leader of the Opposition
Opposition (Malaysia)
The Opposition in Malaysia is a term used to describe political parties represented in the Parliament of Malaysia that are not in government either on their own or as part of a governing coalition. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in parliamentary systems, i.e...
in the Dewan Rakyat
Dewan Rakyat
The Dewan Rakyat is the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara , before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong...
from 1973 to 1999 and 2004 to 2008.
Lim married to Betty Chew Gek Cheng
Betty Chew
Betty Chew is a Malaysian Chinese politician from the Democratic Action Party . As of 2005, she is the chief of the DAP Malacca women's wing, and also represents the constituency of Kota Laksamana in the State Assembly of Malacca...
, a member of the DAP and a state assemblywoman in Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
.
Early education
Lim Guan Eng attended the La Salle Primary English School in Petaling JayaPetaling Jaya
Petaling Jaya is a Malaysian city originally developed as a satellite township for Kuala Lumpur comprising mostly residential and some industrial areas. It is located in the Petaling district of Selangor with an area of approximately 97.2 km². On 20 June 2006, Petaling Jaya was granted a...
, and later the Batu Pahat
Batu Pahat
Batu Pahat is a district in the state of Johor, Malaysia. It lies south-east of Muar, south-west of Kluang, north-west of Pontian, and south of Segamat and the new Ledang district. The capital of the district is Bandar Penggaram, Batu Pahat....
Montfort Primary English School. For secondary education, he went to Batu Pahat High School and Malacca High School. He graduated from Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in Bachelor of Economics and was a qualified professional accountant by 1983. He was the president of MUISS (Monash University International Student Society).
Political career
Prior to his political career, Lim was a Bank Senior executive. Lim was first elected as a Member of Parliament for Kota Melaka in 1986, after defeating Soh Chin AunSoh Chin Aun
Datuk Soh Chin Aun ; born July 28, 1950) is a Malaysian Chinese national football player from Malacca alongside the late Mokhtar Dahari and R. Arumugam. He was known as Tauke or Towkay by his team mate and fans....
with a majority of 17,606 votes. He was re-elected in the subsequent 1990 and 1995 general elections, albeit with reduced majority votes. He thus became the first person to be elected for three consecutive terms in Kota Melaka. He was also the first Malacca High School alumnus to achieve this.
After joining the Democratic Action Party, he was appointed as the DAP Socialist Youth Chairman in 1989 and was elected to that post in 1992. In 1995, he was elected as the DAP Deputy Secretary-General. Lim was elected as the party Secretary-General in 2004, and has held the position since.
Jailed under Sedition Act
Lim was arrested by the Malaysian police in 1994, following his criticism on the government's handling of allegations of statutory rape in one of his constituents by former Chief Minister of the state of Melaka, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby ChikRahim Thamby Chik
Tan Sri Rahim Tamby Chik is a former vice-president of the United Malays National Organization. He was aligned with Dr. Mahathir during the 1987 UMNO General Assembly. He was the chief minister of Malacca from 1982 to 1994....
. Consequently, while the Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
decided not to press charges Rahim Thamby Chik, Lim was charged under Section 4(1) (b) of the Sedition Act 1948
Sedition Act (Malaysia)
The Sedition Act in Malaysia is a law prohibiting discourse deemed as seditious. The act was originally enacted by the colonial authorities of British Malaya in 1948...
for causing 'disaffection with the administration of justice in Malaysia'. Lim was also charged under Section 8A (1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984
Printing Presses and Publications Act
The Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 is a Malaysian statute governing publishing and the usage of printing presses in Malaysia. It replaced the Printing Presses Act 1948 and the Control of Imported Publications Act 1958...
for 'maliciously printing' a pamphlet containing allegedly 'false information' because he had described the alleged rape victim as an 'imprisoned victim' because she was initially detained by Malaysian police without parental consent for 10 days. During the judicial procedure, Lim was quoted saying:
After a series of appeals, Lim was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment. He was, however, released after 12 months on August 25, 1999. Due to his incarceration, he was disallowed from standing for election to public office for a period of 5 years, and he was therefore ineligible to contest in the 2004 Malaysian General Election
Malaysian general election, 2004
General elections were held in Malaysia on March 21, 2004. The incumbent National Front government of Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was re-elected with an increased majority.-Election results:...
.
Internal bickering
In 2005, Lim suffered a surprise defeat in his campaign for re-election to the Melaka DAP committee when he and his wife came in last and second-last (respectively). However, as Lim remained Secretary-General of the party, he was automatically included among the committee under the party constitution. Although his wife remained the chief of the state DAP women's wing, she was not included in the committee. Teresa KokTeresa Kok
Teresa Kok Suh Sim is a Malaysian Member of Parliament from the Democratic Action Party .-Background:Born and bred in Kuala Lumpur, Teresa is a second-generation Malaysian of Chinese descent. Kok is a member of the Hakka dialect group and her ancestors were from Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China....
, a DAP Member of Parliament, suggested there was a conspiracy
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
behind Lim's and Chew's ouster from the committee. Nevertheless, Lim garnered the second highest number of votes (620) at the party's 15th National Congress on August 23, 2008.
Chief Minister of Penang
In 2008 Malaysian general electionMalaysian general election, 2008
The 12th Malaysian general election was held on March 8, 2008, in accordance with Malaysian laws for national elections, which states that a general election must be held no later than five years subsequent to the previous elections; the previous general election was held in 2004...
, the marriage of convenience coalition of DAP-PKR
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
The People's Justice Party , often known simply as KeADILan) is a centrist political party in Malaysia formed in 2003 by a merger of the National Justice Party and the older Malaysian People's Party...
-PAS later known as the Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat
Pakatan Rakyat or PR is an informal Malaysian political coalition. It currently controls four state governments while in opposition to the ruling Barisan Nasional at the federal level....
won 29 out of 40 state seats contested, in which DAP is the largest winning party with 19 seats, PKR 9 seats, and PAS 1, and thus defeated the former ruling coalition Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional
Barisan Nasional is a major political coalition in Malaysia, formed in 1973 as the successor to the Alliance . Along with its predecessor, it has been Malaysia's federal ruling political force since independence...
for the authority to rule Penang for the next five years. Even though, Lim is not a Penangite, as the Secretary-General of DAP, he was nominated to be the next Chief Minister (CM) of Penang replacing long serving former Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon
Koh Tsu Koon
Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon is a Malaysian politician. He was the Chief Minister of Penang from 1990 to 2008 and is currently a member of the Dewan Negara, the upper house of the Malaysian Parliament...
. Senior DAP leaders of Penang such as Lim Hock Seng, Phee Boon Poh, and Chow Kon Yeow were bypassed and were instead appointed as excos.
Governance
As the new Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng announced an amnesty on all summonses issued by the Penang Municipal Council and Seberang Perai Municipal Council involving vendors' licences and parking offences issued before March 2008. On March 14, a rowdy group comprising mostly Umno members and supporters took to the streets illegally after Friday prayers to protest his statements on the NEPMalaysian New Economic Policy
The Malaysian New Economic Policy , was an ambitious and controversial socio-economic restructuring affirmative action program launched by the Malaysian government in 1971 under the then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak. The NEP ended in 1990, and was succeeded by the National Development Policy in...
. No arrests were made but two men were taken in for questioning. Various BN-backed groups and NGOs continued to make different sorts of protest and lodge police reports as a form of continued harassment.
On March 19, 2008, Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
Lim Guan Eng announced that the state exco had approved an open tender system for projects exceeding RM50,000. For projects between RM
Malaysian ringgit
The Malaysian ringgit is the currency of Malaysia. It is divided into 100 sen...
20,000 and RM
Malaysian ringgit
The Malaysian ringgit is the currency of Malaysia. It is divided into 100 sen...
50,000, a balloting system will be introduced and a two-week objection period would be given for both the open tender and balloting systems. This is a stark contrast to BN government's usual way of directly awarding lucrative contracts to companies without any form of open tendering, mostly to shell companies created by connected personnel or BN politicians; a major project, the Penang International Convention Centre(PICC) was nearly launched without open tender. As of 2010, Penang remains the only state in Malaysia that practises a blanket open tendering system.
Controversy
On September 20, 2011, Lim Guan Eng participated in an interview conducted by Australia Broadcasting Corporation where he was reported by the Malaysian news agency, Bernama, to have disparaged the security of the state of JohorJohor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
. Lim Guan Eng insisted he never mentioned Johor, and demanded that Bernama retract their story and issue a formal apology, or face a lawsuit. However, a recording was later revealed by the government controlled television channel, TV3, showing clear evidence of Lim Guan Eng proclaiming that Singaporeans who are in Johor are "likely to be kidnapped". The recording of Lim Guan Eng's remark was made in Singapore. This led Lim Guan Eng to issue a formal apology to the Sultan of Johor.
Personal life
Lim is married to Betty Chew Gek ChengBetty Chew
Betty Chew is a Malaysian Chinese politician from the Democratic Action Party . As of 2005, she is the chief of the DAP Malacca women's wing, and also represents the constituency of Kota Laksamana in the State Assembly of Malacca...
(周玉清), who is also the State Assemblywoman for Kota Laksamana in Melaka. She is the first serving assemblywoman to be married to a Chief Minister. They have four children.
Citations
- "Guan Eng and wife voted out of Malacca DAP committee". (Dec. 19, 2005). The Star (Malaysia)The Star (Malaysia)The Star is an English-language, tabloid-format newspaper in Malaysia. It is the largest in terms of circulation in Malaysia, according to the . It has a daily circulation of between 290,000 to 300,000...
. - Beh, Lih Yi (Dec. 19, 2005). "Mr and Mrs Lim's defeat a 'conspiracy'". MalaysiakiniMalaysiakiniMalaysiakini is a political news website published in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. Since its launch on November 20, 1999, it has been widely considered to be one of the leading non-government owned paid-news agencies in Malaysia. Compete.com estimates that Malaysiakini now attracts over...
. - "The trial of opposition parliamentarian Lim Guan Eng: an update". (Mar. 1, 1997). Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. - "Lim Guan Eng released but his civil rights remain curtailed". (Aug. 25, 1999). Amnesty InternationalAmnesty InternationalAmnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. - Lim Guan Eng Biodata
- TheStar Article
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