Lim Kit Siang
Template:Short description Template:Use Malaysian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Family name hatnote Template:Infobox MP
Lim Kit Siang (Template:Zh; born 20 February 1941) is a retired Malaysian politician. Having held the position for a total of 29 years on three separate occasions, he is the longest-serving leader of the opposition, as well the second longest-serving member of parliament in Malaysia. He was also the former secretary-general and national chairman of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, leading it through eight general elections.
Early life and education
Lim was born on 20 February 1941 at Batu Pahat, Johor, British Malaya.[1][2] His father was from Qinying Village, while his mother was from Zhangtang Village, both located in Dongshan County, Zhangzhou, Fujian, in China. The youngest of four children, Lim's parents gave their eldest daughter to a farmer in Qinying for adoption before immigrating to Malaya and giving birth to Lim. He had one sister and two brothers. Lim visited his ancestral village of Qinying for the first time in November 2008, meeting his brother-in-law.[3]
Lim spent two years studying at a Mandarin-language night school before transferring to Batu Pahat High School, graduating with 5 As in his Cambridge School Certificate of Education examination. Lim was admitted to the English College Johore Bahru to continue his sixth form studies but dropped out after two months to marry his wife, Neo Yok Tee, at the age of 19. The pair had met when they were 15 but their marriage was not approved by Lim's parents, who had wanted him to become a doctor, and disowned him.[4]
He gained employment teaching English at the Senai Chinese Primary School before working as a reporter for The Straits Times and Singapore Radio in Singapore, where he would live until 1965.[5] During this time, he became the secretary-general of the Singapore National Union of Journalists at the age of 22 and came into contact with Devan Nair, then head of the National Trades Union Congress.[4]
He pursued a legal education his at London University, earning a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B), and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1977.[4]
Political career
Upon the separation of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965, Devan Nair, who was also the member of parliament for Bungsar in Malaysia, left Singapore to return to the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur and offered Lim a position as his political secretary, which he accepted. A founding member of Nair's new Democratic Action Party, he was made the editor of the party's publication; The Rocket,[4] and appointed National Organising Secretary in 1966.[6]
Lim was elected the member of parliament for Bandar Malacca in the 1969 Malaysian general election, which saw substantial gains made by multi-racial opposition parties such as the DAP. The results of the election and subsequent reaction led to the 13 May incident, a racial riot in Kuala Lumpur. Lim was named by the government as a suspected instigator arrested under the Internal Security Act, which allowed for indefinite detainment. Upon hearing the news of his impending arrest, Lim had initially fled to Singapore but returned on 15 May. He was denied access to a lawyer or his family for the first of two months he was held in solitary confinement, and Lim claimed the authorities tried to break him down psychologically. He was only freed on 1 October 1970 after 16 months.[7]
His election as a member of parliament for Bandar Malacca was initially held to be void because of the ineligibility of an election agent who had previously failed to discharge his duties from standing for election in the future.Template:Clarify The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdul Razak Hussein, 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 a royal pardon, Lim was allowed to retain his seat.[8]
In 1979, he was convicted of five charges under the Official Secrets Act for exposing an arms deal between the Malaysian government and a Swiss company.
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, became secretary-general of the party during this time.
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 the constituency of Gelang Patah against Barisan Nasional 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 the speaker, Pandikar Amin Mulia.[9][10] 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.[11] However, Lim did not apologise or retract his remarks.[12]
Over the course of his parliamentary career, Lim has represented eight federal constituencies.
- Bandar Malacca, Melaka (1969–1974)
- Kota Melaka, Melaka (1974–1978)
- Petaling, Selangor (1978–1982)
- Kota Melaka, Melaka (1982–1986)
- Tanjong, Penang (1986–1999)
- Ipoh Timor, Perak (2004–2013)
- Gelang Patah, Johor (2013-2018)
- Iskandar Puteri, Johor (2018-2022)
Lim has 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).
Leader of the opposition
Lim was leader of the opposition for 18 months from January 1973 to July 1974, succeeding Asri Muda, and again from November 1975 to November 1999, before being losing his seat in the 1999 general election. He became opposition leader again from March 2004 to March 2008.
Retirement
Lim announced his retirement from politics on 20 March 2022, citing old age.[13] Newly elected Democratic Action Party secretary-general Anthony Loke had originally intended to appoint him as the party's "mentor",[14] but Lim declined the position.[15]
Personal life
He is married with 4 children.[16] He is the father of Lim Guan Eng, the incumbent national chairman of the Democratic Action Party, as well as Lim Hui Ying, the Deputy Minister of Finance.
Election results
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | N17 Serdang | rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Democratic Action Party | | Lim Kit Siang (DAP) | 5,928 | 42.98% | Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional | | Thuan Paik Phok (MCA) | 6,535 | 47.38% | 607 | ||
| bgcolor=Template:Party color | | Tan Han Swee (Gerakan) | 1,330 | 9.64% | |||||||||
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | N18 Kubu | rowspan=3 Template:Party shading/Democratic Action Party | | Lim Kit Siang (DAP) | 4,746 | 61.18% | Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional | | Sivapunniam Krishnasamy (MIC) | 1,881 | 24.25% | 7,961 | 2,865 | 81.85% |
| Template:Party shading/PEKEMAS | | Tan Giap Seng (PEKEMAS) | 697 | 8.99% | |||||||||
| bgcolor=Template:Party color | | Thum Kui Kim (PSRM) | 433 | 5.58% | |||||||||
| 1978 | Template:Party shading/Democratic Action Party | | Lim Kit Siang (DAP) | Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional | | 12,739 | 4,649 | |||||||
| 1982 | N20 Bandar Hilir | rowspan=2 Template:Party shading/Democratic Action Party | | Lim Kit Siang (DAP) | 3,384 | Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional | | Gan Boon Leong (MCA) | 6,447 | 10,050 | 3,063 | 77.9% | ||
| Template:Party shading/Independent | | Lee Ching Sen (IND) | 44 | ||||||||||
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | N24 Kampong Kolam | Template:Party shading/Democratic Action Party | | Lim Kit Siang (DAP) | 8,900 | 63.07% | Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional | | Tham Soon Seong (Gerakan) | 5,211 | 36.93% | 14,391 | 3,689 | 73.49% |
| 1990 | N22 Padang Kota | Template:Party shading/Democratic Action Party | | Lim Kit Siang (DAP) | 6,317 | 52.96% | Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional | | Lim Chong Eu (Gerakan) | 5,611 | 47.04% | 12,221 | 706 | 72.14% |
| 1995 | N19 Tanjong Bunga | Template:Party shading/Democratic Action Party | | Lim Kit Siang (DAP) | 5,384 | 29.15% | Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional | | Koh Tsu Koon (Gerakan) | 13,087 | 70.85% | 18,815 | 7,703 | 77.68% |
| 1999 | N21 Kebun Bunga | Template:Party shading/Democratic Action Party | | Lim Kit Siang (DAP) | 5,142 | 37.11% | Template:Party shading/Barisan Nasional | | Teng Hock Nan (Gerakan) | 8,551 | 61.72% | 14,195 | 3,409 | 68.67% |
Honours
Honours of Malaysia
- Template:Country data Malaysia :
- File:Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia - PSM.svg Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) – Tan Sri (2023)[17]
- Template:Country data Penang
- File:MY-PEN Order of the Defender of State - Knight Grand Commander - DUPN (present).png Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of State (DUPN) – Dato' Seri Utama (2024)[18]
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Timeline
Books
Notes and references
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- ↑ Rahman, Rashid A. (1994). The Conduct of Elections in Malaysia, pp. 204–205. Kuala Lumpur: Berita Publishing. Template:ISBN.
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- ↑ Lim Kit Siang: Biodata
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Other references
- Pillai, M.G.G. (1 November 2005). "Did Lee Kuan Yew want Singapore ejected from Malaysia?". Malaysia Today.
External links
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- 1941 births
- Lim family
- Living people
- People from Batu Pahat
- Malaysian people of Hokkien descent
- Malaysian politicians of Chinese descent
- 20th-century Malaysian lawyers
- Recipients of Malaysian royal pardons
- Asian democratic socialists
- Democratic Action Party (Malaysia) politicians
- Leaders of the opposition (Malaysia)
- Members of the Malacca State Legislative Assembly
- Members of the Penang State Legislative Assembly
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- Commanders of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia
- Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of State of Penang
- Malaysian MPs 1971–1974
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