SHAH ALAM: After 56 years and multiple terms as an MP and assemblyman, DAP’s lao da (big brother) Lim Kit Siang is finally retiring from active politics.

       The party veteran withdrew from the race for a central executive committee position in which he was one of the 93 hopefuls, and said he would not be standing in any election.

       At DAP’s 17th national congress here yesterday, the 81-year-old party veteran, who is Iskandar Puteri MP, narrated how he had seen it grow from a small opposition party that participated in its first general election in 1969, to a Pakatan Harapan member that won the 2018 general election.

       “Despite this, we must remain constant in our objectives and never compromise our principles and ideals,” he said.

       Earlier yesterday, the party’s outgoing secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who is Kit Siang’s son, paid tribute to his father in his opening address at the congress.

       Guan Eng, who relinquished the position after helming it since 2004, also spoke on various other issues including admitting that his party had its weaknesses.

       “It is not wrong to admit. If we are prepared to rectify our weaknesses, we can bounce back like how we did in Johor,” he said.

       Although it lost ground, the party did better than in the Melaka and Sarawak state elections.

       Guan Eng said DAP needed to work together with its coalition partners in order to serve the people as well as highlight their aspirations.

       He added that he was proud to be vacating the secretary-general position after strengthening the party and pledged to fully support the new secretary-general.

       At a press conference later, Guan Eng said that if the anti-hopping legislation was not passed, it would mark the end of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the ruling and opposition coalitions on Sept 13, 2021.

       He said more clarity was needed on the deferment of the Federal Constitution (Amendments) 2022 Bill on anti-party hopping.

       He added that although Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar had said the reading of the bill was postponed, there was an order paper indicating that a constitutional amendment would be tabled in Parliament today.

       “This has caused utter confusion as we do not know what the order paper on the constitutional amendment is about.

       “Let’s have some clarity on this,” he said, adding that Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would be seeking a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to discuss the matter.

       Also present at the DAP congress were Anwar, who is PKR president, his wife and former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and Upko president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau.