Singh is king, Lim is Lim: how DAP’s prominent families performed in party polls

The recently concluded DAP election results revealed a strong performance by the sons of former party stalwart and chairman Datuk Seri Karpal Singh – Ramkarpal Singh and Gobind Singh Deo (left and second from left), while the children Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang – Lim Guan Eng (second from right) and Lim Hui Ying (right) – underperformed. – Scoop GFX, March 28, 2025

Singh is king, Lim is Lim: how DAP’s prominent families performed in party polls


The stark difference in performance of the two prominent political families in the party can be attributed to personal merit, intra-party relationship, evolving political landscape, say analysts



R. Dineskumar
Updated 3 hours ago
28 March, 2025
9:00 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR – The recently concluded DAP Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections on March 16 drew significant attention from political pundits and the public, who were eager to see the fresh faces joining the 30-member committee and how the party’s two prominent political families – the Lims and the Singhs – would fare.

The results revealed a strong performance by the sons of former party stalwart and chairman Datuk Seri Karpal Singh – Gobind Singh Deo and Ramkarpal Singh – while the children of another party heavyweight, Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang – Lim Guan Eng and Lim Hui Ying – underperformed in the party polls.

Gobind secured a surprise victory, topping the CEC election for the 2025-2028 term with 2,785 votes and succeeding Guan Eng as the party’s chairman. Meanwhile, his younger brother Ramkarpal, who clinched the top spot in last year’s Penang DAP elections, was appointed the state chapter’s deputy chairman. He also secured a place in the CEC and was named one of the party’s three deputy secretary-generals.

In contrast, the Lim family faced setbacks. Guan Eng managed only 26th place in the top 30 and was appointed party advisor, succeeding veteran leader Tan Kok Wai. Hui Ying, however, failed to make the cut. She also underperformed in the Penang DAP elections, dropping from 4th place in 2021 to 12th in 2024. Nevertheless, she retained her position as state secretary, which she has held since 2021.

Assessing the performance of Karpal’s sons, assistant professor Lau Zhe Wei of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) attributed their success to their uncontroversial standing within the party. He noted that they did not face internal resistance and were well-regarded by party members.

Speaking to Scoop, Lau said, “Ramkarpal and Gobind have performed quite well in the eyes of the public and party members. As a result, there are no objections to them remaining in DAP.”

“In Karpal’s family, you rarely hear about internal disputes or siblings in opposing camps fighting for position and power. Karpal himself was seen as a principled leader. That’s why there’s hardly any controversy surrounding Gobind’s appointment as chairman,” he added.

Lau contrasted this with the Kit Siang-Guan Eng father-son duo, who have long held powerful positions and exercised strong leadership in deciding party policies and election candidates.

“This has inevitably created factions and conflicts with those opposed to them,” he said.

Both Lau and Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara dismissed family lineage as the key factor behind the Singhs’ success, with Azmi attributing Gobind’s rise to his neutrality, as he did not align himself with factions led by Guan Eng or party secretary-general Anthony Loke.

“That’s why the 4,000-plus delegates saw Gobind as a safe pick,” Azmi told Scoop.

“As for Ramkarpal, his strong performance in the Penang DAP elections is due to his own popularity – not just among party members, but also within the broader Chinese and Indian voter base in Penang.”

Why the Lims underperformed

Azmi attributed the Lim family’s underperformance not to Kit Siang himself but to individual performances in non-party positions and the shifting political landscape, particularly DAP’s alliance with former rival Barisan Nasional in the unity government.

He noted that Hui Ying’s tenure as deputy finance minister was not well-received by DAP delegates, likely contributing to her failure to secure a seat in the CEC. Meanwhile, Guan Eng’s leadership style appeared to be a liability in the current political climate.

“Delegates seem to prefer Loke’s more diplomatic approach to working with Umno over Guan Eng’s ‘direct and brutal’ style, which is seen as less suitable now that DAP and Umno are in the same government,” Azmi explained.

Lau, meanwhile, linked the Lim siblings’ losses to the party’s demand for fresh leadership and the influence of factional politics, both nationally and in Penang, DAP’s stronghold.

Elaborating on factional dynamics, Lau cited Guan Eng’s alleged role in stacking the candidate list for the 2023 Penang state elections with loyalists, which may have damaged his standing.

“Imagine that as the sitting chief minister, Chow Kon Yeow couldn’t even have a say in the Penang state assembly’s candidate selection. This created a perception of Guan Eng as an ‘authoritarian’ leader within the party,” he added.

The Lims’ relevance

Lau pointed out that this is not the first time Guan Eng has faced setbacks in party elections, citing the 2005 Melaka DAP polls where both he and his wife, Betty Chew, failed to secure top-15 positions.

However, he noted that the recent election results have raised questions about the Lim family’s continued influence in DAP.

“The key questions for the next party elections will be: Should the Lim family remain in power? Should Guan Eng retire, or does he still have a role to play in the party?” – March 28, 2025.