Doubt over Kon Yeow’s successor in Penang
THE decision by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to withdraw from the state DAP election race leaves us with the burning question: Who could replace him?
(The Vibes) – Chow led the party for some 25 years, including when the socialist group was in the doldrums.
He stepped into the fray in 1999 when both iconic leaders – Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang and the late Datuk Seri Karpal Singh – lost in the parliamentary elections that year.
Chow led the movement up to the watershed 2008 election when DAP stormed into power in Penang.
From the 1980s until early 2000s, DAP could not capture Penang due to the might of the then ruling coalition Barisan Nasional, of which Gerakan was its lynchpin.
Forever regarded as a “gentleman politician”, Chow gave way to then-DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to become the chief minister in 2008 before the former assumed the role in 2018 until now.
Along the way, Chow infused Penang DAP with new blood such as Ng Wei Aik, Yeoh Soon Hin, Teh Lai Heng, and political secretary Lau Keng Ee, who defended the party’s hold on the DAP heartland in the Tanjong (George Town) constituency.
Just like Chow, his proteges are renowned within party circles as “working class” politicians more dedicated to serving rather than just leading the charge.
At 65, Chow may yet continue his political journey, as DAP is considering asking him to continue as a parliamentarian since he is the current Batu Kawan MP and DAP vice-president.
Party insiders told The Vibes that Chow has kept to the script of relinquishing his state positions in Penang DAP, saying it was time for a new state leadership to emerge by 2030.
During this month’s Penang DAP election, a few names have emerged as potential successors to Chow. They are Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong, Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying, and state executive councillor Wong Hon Wai.
Hui Ying is seen as a serious contender as her father is Lim Kit Siang while her eldest brother is Lim Guan Eng.
