Why Kit Siang killed Tan Seng Giaw

In 2008, Guan Eng instead of Chow Kon Yeow was appointed the Penang Chief Minister as part of Kit Siang’s plan to create the Lim political dynasty with his son as successor. In October 2012, Anthony Loke came back with intel that Tan Seng Giaw is more popular than Guan Eng, who might lose the December 2012 party election. That was when Anthony Loke, Vincent Wu and Chong Chieng Jen were told to come out with a plan on how to rig the party election to make sure that Seng Giaw is defeated with Kit Siang and Guan Eng winning the top score.

DAP: THE INSIDE STORY

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Lim Kit Siang and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad both share one thing in common — both want to create political dynasties with their sons as successors (which is why both can work together although they hate each other and do not trust each other one bit). And that was why Kit Siang made his son, Lim Guan Eng, the Chief Minister of Penang (while Mahathir pestered Prime Minister Najib Tun Abdul Razak to make his son, Mukhriz, the Menteri Besar of Kedah).

A Chief Minister/Menteri Besar post is a very powerful post and helps propel you to the top. And it looked like the ‘illustrious’ sons of both Mahathir and Kit Siang were well on their way. And in the 2012 party election Guan Eng was supposed to cement his position in his party (while the following year, in 2013, Mukhriz was supposed to do the same). However, there was one obstacle to Guan Eng’s political future and his rise up the party. And that obstacle goes by the name of Tan Seng Giaw.

Seng Giaw had to be killed off if Guan Eng is going to be able to take over the leadership of DAP

Even though Guan Eng is the Penang Chief Minister, Seng Giaw is more popular than him. Seng Giaw is well-liked by the party veterans and is well-regarded even by non-opposition supporters and leaders. More importantly, the DAP warlords such as Teng Chang Khim, Nga Kor Ming, Ngeh Koo Ham, Chow Kon Yeow and Boo Cheng Hau consider Seng Giaw more amicable than Guan Eng, who is actually very arrogant and downright rude at times.

Kit Siang appointed Guan Eng instead of Chow Kon Yeow as the Penang Chief Minister so that the Lim Dynasty could take off

DAP’s Indian members also view Seng Giaw as more principled and not a racist and discriminatory towards non-Chinese like most of the other DAP leaders. Malays also like him because he speaks almost perfect Bahasa, not like the other DAP leaders who speak mostly bazaar Malay that even primary school children would find hilarious. Furthermore, the PAS grassroots and party leaders like Seng Giaw — and if he instead of Kit Siang was DAP’s leader the breakup of Pakatan Rakyat soon after the 2013 general election would never have happened.

Seng Giaw speaks far better Bahasa than even some Malays themselves

Anyway, in August 2012, Kit Siang asked Anthony Loke Siew Fook to conduct his intelligence amongst the DAP grassroots to see how popular Seng Giaw is compared to the other leaders. In October, Anthony Loke came back with his intel and the report was alarming. Seng Giaw was going to end up with the highest vote. Kit Siang would win around seventh position while Guan Eng was not going to be even amongst the top 20. And even if Guan Eng does make it into the top 20 it would be around 18th or 19th. Worse still, the Indian members were not going to vote for Guan Eng, who they view as a racist who discriminates against Indians.

This almost gave Kit Siang a heart attack. If he cannot get top position with Guan Eng as number two, that would be the end of the Lim political dynasty and his aspiration for Guan Eng to eventually take over the leadership of DAP. This meant that the party election needed to be rigged to prevent the collapse of the Lim dynasty and the end of any hopes of Guan Eng taking over DAP after Kit Siang steps aside or dies.

Anthony Loke did his intel and came back with an alarming report

Kit Siang asked Anthony Loke, Vincent Wu Him Ven and Chong Chieng Jen to come out with a plan on how they could ‘control’ the party elections in December 2012 and make sure that the results come out the way they want it to. Seng Giaw must be kicked out while Kit Siang must win top slot with Guan Eng as number two. There are six people targeted for assassination: Tan Seng Giaw, Teng Chang Khim, Nga Kor Ming, Ngeh Koo Ham, Chow Kon Yeow and Boo Cheng Hau. And these six must be taken out one-by-one starting with Seng Giaw in December 2012 followed by the rest in due time.

First of all, they sent out the notice to the meeting late: just five days instead of the required 14 days. Next they sent out the notices to just half the delegates and withheld the notices to about 1,300 delegates, mostly the Indian members. Then they allowed 547 illegal delegates to vote, mainly Chinese members. These 547 were asked to vote for just six people while Anthony Loke and Vincent Wu marked the balance 14 names.

The result was Kit Siang got number one, Guan Eng number two, and Seng Giaw was killed off.

READ MORE HERE: How Kit Siang cheated to stay in power in DAP

Not too many happy faces in this new DAP CEC lineup, the result of a rigged party election

This was not the first time Kit Siang cheated in the party elections to get rid of threats to his leadership. Many remember the most famous assassination of all, Lee Lam Thye, who would have been the leader of DAP instead of Kit Siang had he not been killed off back in the late 1980s. Since then many more have been assassinated, the latest two being Seng Giaw and Dr Boo.

READ: No turning back for DAP’s Dr Boo 

With Kit Siang controlling the 20-man CEC, he decides who becomes party chairman, party secretary-general, opposition leader in parliament, and so on. He, too, decides who becomes the Chief Minister of Penang. In short, Kit Siang controls DAP and decides what happens in the party. And anyone who goes against him and disputes what he says ends up like what would happen to you in North Korea. And Kit Siang is going to use the coming general election to purge the party before he allows another party election to be held, which will be held after the general election. So Kit Siang is not quite finished with Seng Giaw and the other warlords just yet.