Lim not ruling out possibility of contesting elsewhere

JOHOR BARU: DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang is not ruling out the possibility of contesting in a new constituency in the next general election amid talk that he will not be defending his Gelang Patah parliamentary seat.

The veteran politician said he was willing to seriously consider leaving his Gelang Patah seat for a “strategic reason”.

Thanking Kedah DAP leaders for their confidence in offering him a seat to contest, Lim said he was still struggling with the question to contest or to call it a day, as he has been in Malaysian politics for 51 years since the formation of DAP in 1966.

“There is a lot of talk that I will stand in Malacca, Penang, Bentong, Alor Setar... I don’t know.

“But if I do contest, my first choice will be Gelang Patah because it is my seat. Why should I run away?” he told reporters after a walkabout in Kangkar Pulai, which falls under his constituency yesterday.

Lim’s track record shows he has contested in parliamentary seats in a number of states.

It includes stints as the Kota Melaka MP in Malacca, Petaling MP in Selangor, Tanjong MP in Penang and Ipoh Timur in Perak.

There is also talk that Lim will contest in a Penang seat in the next general election in view of the graft charges against his son Guan Eng, who is Penang Chief Minister.

Over the past week, several posters and a large banner questioning the whereabouts of Lim have appeared in front of the party’s service centre in Taman Nusa Perintis in Gelang Petah.

A banner with the words Where is Uncle Lim Kit Siang? Gelang Patah misses you was hung between two trees.

Lim said it was not the first time such posters and banners had been put up against him, adding that it was part of Barisan Nasional and Umno’s propaganda.

In Shah Alam, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan said it was time for Lim to retire, adding that many political parties had undergone transformation in their leadership.

“Maybe his leadership is the reason why DAP could not win in the elections. Fifty-one years are too long. By looking at the KPI, DAP lost 13 times.

“It (Lim’s retirement) will be good not just for DAP but also the country because when leaders go, new ideas appear,” he added.