DAP leader Lim Guan Eng is seeking another royal pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in order to enable him to participate in the coming general election.

Lim submitted a second petition to the King today to remove his disqualification as a member of Parliament following his conviction and jail term under the Sedition and Printing Presses and Publication Act in 1998.

Lim had accused former Melaka chief minister Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik of having sex with an underaged girl. The controversy eventually forced the latter to quit.

As a result of his conviction, Lim, then the member of parliament for Kota Melaka was jailed for 18 months.

Unless he is pardoned, he would only be able to contest the elections after Aug 25, five years from the date of his conviction.

Speaking to reporters at the entrance of Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Lim said he wanted "to restore my political and civil rights".

"I am hopeful that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong would make a decision soon as the general election is near," said Lim, who was a outspoken parliamentarian from 1986 to 1998.

His father, DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang, deputy chairperson Karpal Singh and other MPs including Teresa Kok (Seputeh), Chong Eng (Bukit Mertajam), Fong Po Kuan (Batu Gajah), Tan Kok Wai (Cheras) and Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang) were also present.

Lim's 100-odd page petition was received by the King's private personal secretary, Raja Hydar Raja Iskandar.

Call to Pak Lah

The former DAP deputy secretary-general first submitted his pardon petition to Melaka chief minister Abu Zahar Isnin in 1998, but his request was flatly rejected.

Later, he handed a similar petition to the King, but that appeal was rejected as well.

Meanwhile, Karpal, who is also Lim's counsel, urged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to look into the issue of Lim's pardon.

"The King has the all embracing power to pardon Lim. However, this is not a personal prerogative as he will be advised by the prime minister," said Karpal.

"But this is a simple petition and the PM has gone beyond precedents in many areas. This is one area that he should look into," he added.

Karpal said the King and the government should "remove any obstacle" in Lim's path to enable him to serve again as the people's representative.

"Lim had been a three-term MP. He has served the people well. His conviction should not be held against him forever," he said.

In October, the party conceded that it had made a 'wholly unfounded' allegation against Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, who was accused of committing statutory rape, or having sexual relations with a minor below the age of 16.

DAP said this declaration in a statement which was read in the Kuala Lumpur High Court by Karpal in the presence of Justice James Foong and Abdul Rahim.

Following this, the former chief minister withdrew his defamation suit against the opposition party.