Malaysia s DAP polls Lim Guan Eng fails to retain chairmanship offered adviser role

SHAH ALAM, Selangor – Veteran leader Lim Guan Eng of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) lost his bid to retain the post of chairman in his party’s triennial election held on March 16.

Instead, he was offered a role as national adviser, a move seen as diminishing the stature of the Lim family in the largest party in Malaysia’s ruling coalition.

In the closely watched DAP internal election, Mr Lim polled 1,719 votes and ranked 26th among 70 candidates vying for a seat in the 30-member central executive committee (CEC).

During the subsequent election for office-bearers by the newly elected CEC members, Mr Lim was chosen as party adviser.

The party’s new chairman, for a three-year term, will be Mr Gobind Singh Deo, who is also Malaysia’s Digital Minister.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke retained the secretary-general’s post as the leader of the Chinese-majority multiracial party.

The party congress was held in Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor state. Seventy-nine per cent of the 4,203 delegates registered with the party turned out to vote.

In response to the drop in Mr Lim’s ranking from eighth in 2022 to 26th in terms of the number of votes in 2025, Mr Loke emphasised that the delegates still recognise the veteran politician’s contributions to the party and voted for him accordingly.

“He was the secretary-general and national chairman in the past, leading the party to victory in the 2008 election, which resulted in the DAP forming the Penang government and Mr Lim becoming chief minister for the first time,” Mr Loke told reporters after announcing the new CEC line-up.

“The party members have not forgotten him. They remain affectionate towards Mr Lim, valuing every leader who played a role at a different time.”

Accepting the delegates’ decision, Mr Lim underlined that his future would