In an address to his peers at a full council meeting today, he said he wanted to pass the baton to “fresh and younger blood”.
“There have been ups and downs in my tenure as a councillor. There have been moments of conflict but also more moments of cooperation.
“I offer my apologies if I have stepped on anybody’s toes in the course of my duties.
“Rest assured that everything was done with the best of intentions and for the betterment of our city.
“It has been a truly educational experience. As Harold Laski, a famous political scientist, once said, one learns more about politics in one year at the school of hard knocks than one learns from a decade of lectures in political science in a classroom,” Lim told his peers at the City Hall today.
When asked by FMT what was next for him, Lim said: “Back to Penang Forum.”
The forum is a coalition of respectable NGOs which has been critical of the much debated and controversial Penang Transport Master Plan.
Lim revealed that Forum member Khoo Salma Nasution had been nominated to take his place. But her appointment had yet to be confirmed by the state government.
NGOs may nominate a representative to the state government to be city or municipal councillors. It is up to the state government to approve the nominations.
There are currently 24 city councillors, 23 of whom are political appointees while Lim is the sole NGO appointee, representing Penang Forum.
Lim, a former professor and international banker, has been one of the more outspoken city councillors, speaking out against over-development and unsustainable transport policies by the Penang government.
He has been attacked by the Penang government many times over his opinions, the most recent one being over a letter he wrote to Unesco.
Lim wrote to Unesco to bring to their attention the Sia Boey Market, which has been marked for a proposed LRT terminus. Recently, archaeologists had found artefacts from the 1800s there.
Meanwhile, in his speech, he praised the council for many milestones achieved.
Lim said the bike-share programme by the city council had made progress and the walkway upgrades in Pulau Tikus were commendable.
However, he said there were many issues left that had yet to be fixed by the council.
“I am concerned with the lack of care and maintenance of existing trees, the higher incidence of illegal cutting of trees and even of hill forests, as is so evident with the Botak Hill episode.
“As I said before, our beautiful hills are seriously degraded.
“The council should demand imposition of heavy penalties, including jail sentences, to deter such irresponsible behaviour,” Lim said.
He said the rapid development experienced within the city was the “most serious threat”.
“Development is not about erecting more high-rise buildings in every imaginable plot of land all over the island, with scant regard to the neighbourhood, street scape, traffic congestion and liveability.
“I will not call this development.”
Lim cited an example of a project along Scotland Road, where the number of units had been doubled from 12 to 22 on a one-acre piece of land.
“In another case, submission for approval has been made for construction of a 38-storey hotel on a small plot of land measuring 29,000 sq ft in a residential area along Jln Tanjong Tokong and Pantai Molek.
“There is good development and there is bad development. Such practices, in my mind, do not constitute good or sustainable development.”
He also said the practice of waste segregation in the city council limits was left wanting.
Lim also suggested that city council meetings be opened to the public to ensure transparency, as allowed in the Local Government Act 1976.
“[…]This council should be a leader to adopt the policy of allowing members of the public to speak at full council meetings, and also to open up its committee and sub-committee meetings to members of the public.
“We can then claim to be a CAT government.”
CAT stands for Competency, Accountability and Transparency — touted as the policy of the DAP-led state government.