The Umno Supreme Council member said Lim should be accorded a higher ranking also because he held the stature of Penang chief minister, unlike those above him.
Yesterday, PH announced its latest line-up in which PKR’s Anwar Ibrahim was appointed as the de facto leader, PPBM’s Dr Mahathir Mohamad as chairman and PKR’s Dr Wan Azizah Ismail as its president. These are the very same designations that they hold in their own parties.
Besides Lim, PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu were each also named as PH deputy president.
“Lim is someone who has achieved a lot in his political life,” Nazri told FMT.
The tourism and culture minister said Lim, who is DAP secretary-general, was only named in the leadership arrangement to help woo Chinese voters to PH.
“They only included him to convince the people that there is a Chinese person in the whole set-up,” Nazri said.
Yesterday’s announcement came a month after speculation over the leadership structure of the new coalition, which will see the four opposition parties for the first time going to the polls using a common logo.
Earlier today, Umno’s Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak said DAP had been side-lined as none of its members occupied any of the top posts in the coalition.
He said this was despite the secular party having the most number of MPs in the opposition.
PH treasurer M Kulasegaran, who is also DAP vice-president, however rubbished Salleh’s claim, adding that the former Sabah chief minister failed to recognise that everyone in PH, despite the hierarchy, was equal.