Father, son and the regional warlords
This election will see a changed party with many new voters and alliances but all of them, in one way or the other, are supporters of the father-and-son team.
Some warlords are excluding Karpal Singh from their cai dan, seeing him as a stumbling block in the party’s cooperation with PAS and for campaigning the “one-man one-seat” rule. But he is popular with the grassroots for putting party principles over political expediency.
Baradan Kuppusamy, The Star
While the Lims remain party favourites, the availability of positions has caused infighting among DAP’s lower ranks.
The names of the father and son team of DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and secretary-general Lim Guan Eng are on the cai dan or “menus” of all feuding warlords in the DAP elections tomorrow and because of this they are expected to romp home.
The two along with another, party chairman Karpal Singh, are the three most frequently mentioned names in the menus, a list of 20 names that various DAP warlords are distributing and urging their supporters to vote for in the election. In the last election in 2008, the older Lim came out first followed by his son.
Some warlords are excluding Karpal Singh from their cai dan, seeing him as a stumbling block in the party’s cooperation with PAS and for campaigning the “one-man one-seat” rule. But he is popular with the grassroots for putting party principles over political expediency.
The 2008 party elections were held just months after the victories of March 2008 general election. Delegates were mostly made up of the party’s old guard – a close-knit group owing loyalty to the elder Lim and his henchmen.
The party has almost trebled in membership with the entry of mostly younger members, who are used to tasting power and liking it.
The exercise of power and the availability of perks and positions have also caused infighting among leaders of the once united party
A classic example is how Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran and his men were routed in state DAP elections by powerful Perak cousins – Ngar Kor Ming and Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham – who were allied with the new Perak Indian DAP leader, Buntong assemblyman S. Sivasubramaniam.
In Selangor, too, a fierce fight erupted between the State Assembly Speaker and Selangor DAP vice-chairman Teng Chang Khim, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok together with Pandamaran assemblyman Ronnie Liu for control of the state. But that election produced mixed results.
These continued feuds will colour the national election with all sides trying to use the election as a chance to kill each other politically.
This election will see a changed party with many new voters and alliances but all of them, in one way or the other, are supporters of the father-and-son team.
The annual delegates conference will also see hot debate over the “one-man, one-seat” rule. Delegates are expected to endorse the ruling which will apply to all except Guan Eng, who needs to hold both state and parliamentary seats.
While more than 10 leaders will be appointed to the Central Executive Committee (CEC) and some of these appointments would be from among the losers, it would be a major dent to their morale if they are not elected. Under the DAP constitution, the 20 elected delegates will get together immediately afterwards to select from among themselves who will fill the top posts.
One notable fact is that Guan Eng is going for his third term as secretary-general and it will be his last because the recently amended constitution bars anybody from holding the post for more than three terms. After this term, he is expected to become party chairman, with Karpal having to make way.
The party is also under pressure to make sure more Malay leaders are elected to the CEC.
While observers will keenly watch who comes out first – the father or the son – and how well Karpal fares, all eyes will really be on the success or failure of the two prominent dissidents in the party – Teng and Johor chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau. While the elder Lim has had a working relationship with both dissidents, Teng in particular is seen as rival to Guan Eng for the secretary-general’s post.
Guan Eng himself is not on close terms with Teng and this election will be a good opportunity for him, if he so chooses, to finish off Teng.
Guan Eng will need new friends and new allies to shore him up if he wants to keep the party under his control. Teng has been a dissenter for much of his political career, tapping on a strong undercurrent of dissent to get himself elected.
The two-day conference is also Guan Eng’s swansong as it is being held in Penang, the DAP fortress and he wants to showcase his CAT – clean, accountable and transparent – administration.
The state is the only one in the Pakatan Rakyat stable that has any chance of holding its own against an onslaught by a reinvigorated Barisan Nasional and Guan Eng is expected to emphasise this fact in his call to arms to the party – to close ranks, unite and save Penang.
With the general election imminent, the 1,500 delegates to the two-day conference are not in the mood to experiment but eager to endorse the father-son team. However, regional warlords are also working hard to outdo each other.
