Lim Kit Siang | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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林吉祥 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 21 March 2004 – 8 March 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monarchs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Abdullah Ahmad Badawi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Abdul Hadi Awang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Wan Azizah Wan Ismail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 5 November 1975 – 29 November 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monarchs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Edmund Langgu Anak Saga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Fadzil Noor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 17 April 1973 – 24 August 1974 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monarch | Abdul Halim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Abdul Razak Hussein | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Mohamed Asri Muda | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | James Wong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2nd National Chairman of the Democratic Action Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 3 December 1999 – 4 September 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Secretary-General | Kerk Kim Hock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Chen Man Hin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Karpal Singh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3rd Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 1 October 1970 – 3 December 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National Chairman | Chen Man Hin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Fan Yew Teng (acting) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Kerk Kim Hock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Batu Pahat, Johor, British Malaya (now Malaysia) | 20 February 1941||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | Democratic Action Party (DAP) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other political affiliations |
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Spouse |
Neo Yoke Tee (
m. 1960) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 4 (including Guan Eng and Hui Ying) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website |
limkitsiang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
*Parliament suspended from 13 May 1969 to 20 February 1971 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang ( Chinese: 林吉祥; pinyin: Lín Jíxiáng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lîm Kiat-siâng; born 20 February 1941) is a retired Malaysian politician. He was the longest-serving opposition leader in Malaysia, having held the position for a total of 29 years on three separate occasions, as well as the second longest-serving member of parliament. He was also the former Secretary-General and National Chairman of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which is a component party of the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
Lim was born in Batu Pahat, Johor, British Malaya on 20 February 1941. [1] [2]
Lim together with his son Guan Eng first visited his ancestral home in China in Nov 2008 as reported in Chinapress.[ citation needed] His ancestral village is located in Zhangzhou, Fujian province. He met his brother-in-law during the visit. [3]
Lim went to Batu Pahat High School for his lower high school education. After that, he went to English College Johore Bahru, where he scored 5As in his Cambridge School Certificate of Education examination. [4] He received his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in United Kingdom [5] and qualified at Lincoln's Inn in 1977.[ citation needed]
Lim first emerged as a politician when he was National Organising Secretary of the DAP from 1966 to 1969. At the same time, he was also entrusted to edit the party's newspaper, the Rocket. The course of the political landscape changed when he was promoted to Secretary-General in 1969 after being acting Secretary-General for a short stint during a period.
Lim was first elected as an MP for the Bandar Melaka seat in 1969. His election was initially held to be void, however, because of the ineligibility of an election agent who had previously failed to discharge his duties from standing for election in the future. The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdul Razak, moved a motion in Parliament to prevent Lim from serving as an MP, granting him instead a period of time to request a royal pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King). After receiving the royal pardon, Lim was allowed to retain his seat. [6]
Apart from 1999 to 2004, during which time he lost his seat due to the Chinese disenchantment with DAP entering into a political pact with the Islamist PAS for the general elections, Lim represented various constituencies in five states:
He also served as a state assemblyman in Melaka and Penang during the following periods: Kubu, Melaka (1974–1982); Kampong Kolam, Penang (1986–1990); and Padang Kota, Penang (1990–1995).
In addition, Lim had also served as the Opposition Leader of Malaysia three times over a span of 50 years. He was first elected Opposition Leader for an 18-month stint from January 1973 to July 1974. Next, he assumed the position in November 1975 for the next 24 years before losing his parliamentary seat in the 1999 general elections. He served in the post once more for a four-year stint following the 2004 general elections until 2008.
He led the party as Secretary-General until 1999 when he was elected party chairman, succeeding Chen Man Hin. In 2004, he refused re-appointment as the chairman and Karpal Singh was elected to replace him. Lim was then elected to an advisory role as the leader of a newly created body called the "Policy and Strategic Planning Commission". His son, Lim Guan Eng, was the Secretary-General of the party and the Finance Minister of Malaysia.
After winning a parliamentary seat from Ipoh Timor during the 2004 general election, which also saw his party clinching the most seats of any opposition party, Lim became the Parliamentary Opposition Leader.
Lim contested and won in Gelang Patah against Barisan Nasional's heavyweight and former Menteri Besar of Johor Abdul Ghani Othman in the 2013 general election.
On 22 October 2015, Lim was suspended for six months from Parliament for insulting Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia. [7] [8] Earlier, he had stated that Pandikar was abusing his powers by ruling that the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) could not continue its ongoing investigation into 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal (1MDB) due to the transfer of four PAC members to the Cabinet. Pandikar had insisted that Lim apologize and withdraw his statement against him. [9] However, Lim did not apologise or retract his remarks. [10]
On 20 March 2022, on the 17th DAP National Congress, Lim announced his retirement and that he will not be contesting in the Central Executive Committee and the following general and state elections, citing old age. [11] The Secretary-general of DAP, Anthony Loke had originally intended to appoint him as the mentor of the party. [12] However, Lim declined the offer. [13]
In 1969, Lim was detained lawfully under the Internal Security Act for 18 months. Ten years later, in 1979, he was convicted of five charges under Official Secrets Act for exposing a legitimate arms deal between the government and a Swiss company.
In the March 2008 general election, he was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Ipoh Timor with a majority of 21,942 votes. Lim issued an instruction for all DAP representatives to boycott from the swearing-in ceremony for Perak Menteri Besar, claiming that there was no DAP mandate for PAS Menteri Besar in Perak. [14] This caused the Perak MB swearing-in ceremony to be cancelled and [15] only took place after Lim apologised and retracted his instruction. [16]
He is married with 4 children. [17] He is the father of Lim Guan Eng, the Bagan MP, Air Putih MLA and National Chairman of DAP as well as Lim Hui Ying, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Tanjong MP.
Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
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1969 | P086 Bandar Malacca, Malacca | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 18,562 | 60.80% | Koh Kim Leng ( MCA) | 7,346 | 24.06% | 31,484 | 11,216 | 73.77% | ||
Hasnul Abdul Hadi ( PSRM) | 4,621 | 15.14% | ||||||||||
1974 | P098 Kota Melaka, Malacca | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 17,664 | 51.93% | Loh Kee Peng ( MCA) | 13,460 | 39.57% | 34,738 | 4,204 | 74.53% | ||
Thum Kim Kui ( PSRM) | 2,165 | 6.36% | ||||||||||
Lee Kou Ming ( PEKEMAS) | 726 | 2.13% | ||||||||||
1978 | P081 Petaling, Selangor | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 41,017 | 62.83% | Yeoh Poh San ( MCA) | 24,263 | 37.17% | 90,611 | 16,754 | |||
1982 | P098 Kota Melaka, Malacca | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 29,310 | 54.51% | Chan Teck Chan ( MCA) | 24,459 | 45.49% | 54,914 | 4,851 | 78.56% | ||
1986 | P045 Tanjong, Penang | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 27,611 | 63.43% | Koh Tsu Koon ( Gerakan) | 15,921 | 36.57% | 44,463 | 11,690 | 73.32% | ||
1990 | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 30,954 | 69.66% | Boey Weng Keat ( Gerakan) | 13,485 | 30.34% | 45,392 | 17,469 | 74.55% | |||
1995 | P048 Tanjong, Penang | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 25,622 | 56.75% | Oh Keng Seng ( Gerakan) | 18,727 | 41.48% | 45,971 | 6,895 | 72.57% | ||
Khor Gark Kim ( PBS) | 800 | 1.77% | ||||||||||
1999 | P047 Bukit Bendera, Penang | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 24,176 | 49.50% | Chia Kwang Chye ( Gerakan) | 24,280 | 49.72% | 49,887 | 104 | 71.67% | ||
2004 | P064 Ipoh Timor, Perak | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 28,851 | 60.20% | Thong Fah Chong ( MCA) | 19,077 | 39.80% | 49,175 | 9,774 | 67.06% | ||
2008 | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 37,364 | 70.12% | Liew Mun Hon ( MCA) | 15,422 | 28.94% | 53,994 | 21,942 | 70.45% | |||
2013 | P162 Gelang Patah, Johor | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 54,284 | 57.74% | Abdul Ghani Othman ( UMNO) | 39,522 | 42.04% | 95,071 | 14,762 | 89.08% | ||
2018 | P162 Iskandar Puteri, Johor | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 80,726 | 69.24% | Jason Teoh Sew Hock ( MCA) | 35,862 | 30.76% | 118,779 | 44,864 | 85.90% |
Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1968 | N17 Serdang | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 5,928 | 42.98% | Thuan Paik Phok ( MCA) | 6,535 | 47.38% | 607 | ||||
Tan Han Swee ( Gerakan) | 1,330 | 9.64% |
Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1974 | N18 Kubu | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 4,746 | K. Sivapunniam ( MIC) | 1,881 | 2,865 | 81.85% | |||||
Tan Giap Seng ( PEKEMAS) | 697 | |||||||||||
Thum Kui Kim ( PSRM) | 433 | |||||||||||
1978 | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 12,739 | 4,649 | |||||||||
1982 | N20 Bandar Hilir | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 3,384 | Gan Boon Leong ( MCA) | 6,447 | 10,050 | 3,063 | 77.9% | ||||
Lee Ching Sen ( IND) | 44 |
Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | N24 Kampong Kolam | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 8,900 | 63.07% | Tham Soon Seong ( Gerakan) | 5,211 | 36.93% | 14,391 | 3,689 | 73.49% | ||
1990 | N22 Padang Kota | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 6,317 | 52.96% | Lim Chong Eu ( Gerakan) | 5,611 | 47.04% | 12,221 | 706 | 72.14% | ||
1995 | N19 Tanjong Bunga | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 5,384 | 29.15% | Koh Tsu Koon ( Gerakan) | 13,087 | 70.85% | 18,815 | 7,703 | 77.68% | ||
1999 | N21 Kebun Bunga | Lim Kit Siang ( DAP) | 5,142 | 37.11% | Teng Hock Nan ( Gerakan) | 8,551 | 61.72% | 14,195 | 3,409 | 68.67% |