Why Guan Eng’s fall mirrors Churchill’s post-WWII ouster whereby making a comeback is possible
By Jonathan Liew
FOR decades, DAP leaders Lim Guan Eng and his father Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang were the face of the party’s unyielding defiance. They took on UMNO, went to jail for it and transformed DAP from an Opposition party into a major force in government today.
But as the recent DAP elections have shown, Guan Eng’s grip on the party is loosening. He has been “demoted” from chairman to adviser while his lieutenants like Teresa Kok, RSN Rayer and even his own Deputy Finance Minister sister, Hui Ying, did not make the cut into the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC).
A new leadership that is less confrontation – but more pragmatic – has taken shape. It’s a moment that feels oddly reminiscent of the fall of another political giant’ – former British premier Sir Winston Churchill in 1945.
But one thing must be made clear – Guan Eng is no Churchillian leader. Not by historical weight, not by statesmanship.
But the way the tides have turned on Guan Eng mirrors what happened to Churchill post-World War II.
FOR decades, DAP leaders Lim Guan Eng and his father Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang were the face of the party’s unyielding defiance. They took on UMNO, went to jail for it and transformed DAP from an Opposition party into a major force in government today.
But as the recent DAP elections have shown, Guan Eng’s grip on the party is loosening. He has been “demoted” from chairman to adviser while his lieutenants like Teresa Kok, RSN Rayer and even his own Deputy Finance Minister sister, Hui Ying, did not make the cut into the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC).
A new leadership that is less confrontation – but more pragmatic – has taken shape. It’s a moment that feels oddly reminiscent of the fall of another political giant’ – former British premier Sir Winston Churchill in 1945.
But one thing must be made clear – Guan Eng is no Churchillian leader. Not by historical weight, not by statesmanship.
But the way the tides have turned on Guan Eng mirrors what happened to Churchill post-World War II.
For now, Anthony Loke Siew Fook is deemed the most powerful leader in DAP by virtue of being the party’s secretary-general
Non-confrontational
Churchill was Britain’s bulldog during World War II (WWII), a leader whose fiery rhetoric and defiance rallied a nation.
But when the war ended, British voters decided they needed a different kind of leader – one who could re-build the country, not just fight enemies.
So, despite leading Britain to victory, Churchill was in 1945 ousted in favour of Labour’s Clement Attlee.
In his own way, Guan Eng was DAP’s wartime leader. He was combative, unapologetic and relentless in challenging what many of the party’s supporters perceived as the “Hitler-equivalent”.
Under him, DAP wasn’t just an opposition party – it was a battle cry.
But today, DAP is an integral part of the unity government. The battle has shifted from the streets to the corridors of power. And many within the party feel that Guan Eng’s confrontational style no longer serves DAP’s new reality.
This explains why the recent party elections saw his faction lose ground with figures like secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook – who embodies a more diplomatic, UMNO-friendly approach – cementing their dominance.
Guan Eng not ‘buried’ yet
The message from DAP’s rank and file is clear: The party no longer wants a fighter. It wants a more conciliatory leader.
For decades, the so-called Lim Dynasty was synonymous with DAP. Kit Siang built it. Guan Eng led it into government. Their influence was absolute.
But times change. DAP’s survival now depends on managing its relationship with UMNO and its Malay-majority coalition partners. The days of fiery rhetoric and daring arrests may be over.
But that doesn’t mean Guan Eng and his faction is finished. Churchill, after all, returned as Prime Minister in 1951 when the political climate shifted again.
By then, Britain was struggling with economic difficulties, rationing and austerity under the post-war Attlee Labour government. Many voters felt Labour’s policies were leading to stagnation.
Could the same happen to Guan Eng? Possibly. If DAP finds itself back in opposition one day, its members may once again yearn for a hardliner – a familiar warrior to rally the troops.
Time will tell if this is truly Guan Eng’s final chapter – or just an intermission. – March 19, 2025
Main image credit: eBay; Lim Guan Eng/Facebook
Non-confrontational
Churchill was Britain’s bulldog during World War II (WWII), a leader whose fiery rhetoric and defiance rallied a nation.
But when the war ended, British voters decided they needed a different kind of leader – one who could re-build the country, not just fight enemies.
So, despite leading Britain to victory, Churchill was in 1945 ousted in favour of Labour’s Clement Attlee.
In his own way, Guan Eng was DAP’s wartime leader. He was combative, unapologetic and relentless in challenging what many of the party’s supporters perceived as the “Hitler-equivalent”.
Under him, DAP wasn’t just an opposition party – it was a battle cry.
But today, DAP is an integral part of the unity government. The battle has shifted from the streets to the corridors of power. And many within the party feel that Guan Eng’s confrontational style no longer serves DAP’s new reality.
This explains why the recent party elections saw his faction lose ground with figures like secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook – who embodies a more diplomatic, UMNO-friendly approach – cementing their dominance.
Guan Eng not ‘buried’ yet
The message from DAP’s rank and file is clear: The party no longer wants a fighter. It wants a more conciliatory leader.
For decades, the so-called Lim Dynasty was synonymous with DAP. Kit Siang built it. Guan Eng led it into government. Their influence was absolute.
But times change. DAP’s survival now depends on managing its relationship with UMNO and its Malay-majority coalition partners. The days of fiery rhetoric and daring arrests may be over.
But that doesn’t mean Guan Eng and his faction is finished. Churchill, after all, returned as Prime Minister in 1951 when the political climate shifted again.
By then, Britain was struggling with economic difficulties, rationing and austerity under the post-war Attlee Labour government. Many voters felt Labour’s policies were leading to stagnation.
Could the same happen to Guan Eng? Possibly. If DAP finds itself back in opposition one day, its members may once again yearn for a hardliner – a familiar warrior to rally the troops.
Time will tell if this is truly Guan Eng’s final chapter – or just an intermission. – March 19, 2025
Main image credit: eBay; Lim Guan Eng/Facebook
Churchill made a comeback because Labour fucked up in overreach trying to create a statist economy , nationalising everywhere, creating a sluggish moribund economy.
ReplyDeleteBritain took decades to recover from the wild nationalisation of the economy. Some industries never recovered.
Then how about the demolishing of the pommie industries via Big Bang by that bitchie Thatcher?
DeleteRight now nothing about heavy industrial exercises can be successfully done in pommieland!