Penang DAP polls: Sim new state party chief, Ramkarpal bags most votes
Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim has been elected as the new Penang DAP chief.
Tanjong MP Lim Hui Ying, on the other hand, was retained as the Penang DAP secretary.
The state party’s newly elected central committee made the...
Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim has been elected as the new Penang DAP chief.
Tanjong MP Lim Hui Ying, on the other hand, was retained as the Penang DAP secretary.
The state party’s newly elected central committee made the decision which was in line with a formula mooted by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke.
The 15-member committee - which elects office bearers from among itself - also picked Ramkarpal Singh as Penang DAP deputy chief, Zairil Khir Johari and Chow Kon Yeow stalwart Yeoh Soon Hin as vice-chiefs.
Earlier in the race to form Penang DAP’s central committee, Ramkarpal came out first with 1,247 votes, followed by Sim who had 1,237 votes.
Hui Ying came in 12th place with 827 votes.
Besides Yeoh, other state party leaders aligned to Chow - Soon Lip Chee, and Teh Lai Heng - were also voted in.
State exco members Daniel Gooi, H’ng Mooi Lye, and Lim Siew Khim, as well as Jelutong MP RSN Rayer, were among those who made the cut to form the committee.
Those who lost the election included state exco members Jagdeep Singh Deo and Wong Hon Wai, assemblypersons Ong Ah Teong (Batu Lanchang), Heng Lee Lee (Berapit) and K Kumaran (Bagan Dalam), as well as former DAP women’s chief Chong Eng.
The committee later appointed Ooi Yong Woi, Teh Chuann Yien, S Sundarajoo, and Foo Yu Keong as committee members.
Sundarajoo was originally listed among the central committee election candidates but later announced that he was not contesting.
Lee Wei Seang was also co-opted as assistant organising secretary.
Solution after reported internal conflict
The Penang DAP election caught the public eye after Chow - who had helmed the state chapter for over two decades - decided not to contest amid concerns that he could not get a spot in the state committee.
This led to speculation that those aligned with Chow's predecessor as chief minister, Lim Guan Eng, would move to take over Penang DAP.
Loke then proposed the Sim-Hui Ying formula, which was believed to be aimed at ensuring stability and making sure Chow could serve out his remaining term as chief minister without an internal challenge from Penang DAP.
Guan Eng - who is the DAP chairperson - then signalled his acceptance of Loke's formula when he hosted a unity gathering last week.
