“I was the foremost critic of Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his 22 years as prime minister, but the challenge of 2018 was to deal with the present and the future, not the past.

“DAP believed in the transfer of power and responsibility to a younger generation. We had three ministers in their fifties, two in their forties and one in her thirties,” he said at a DAP Socialist Youth event last night.

On the other hand, he said two parties in the coalition had Cabinet ministers who were in their sixties while another party had two Cabinet members aged 90 and 70.

The 81-year-old Iskandar Puteri MP said historically DAP was a party of youths, adding that empowering youths was vital for the nation’s future.

“When I became DAP secretary-general, I was 28 years old. At that time, we had three members in the central executive committee who were in their twenties – and more importantly, they were the driving force in the party.

“In the 1960s, the idea of a youth wing never occurred to us because the DAP national leadership was spearheaded by this group,” he said.

In this context, Lim said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s announcement that a senator will be appointed among the youths is not enough to change the direction of the nation.

“The people want a government run by youths or at least a government which is fully versed with the vision and aspirations of youths in the country,” he said.

In March, Lim announced his retirement from active politics after 56 years, having served as an MP for most of that time.

He was the MP for Bandar Melaka (1969–1974), Kota Melaka (1974–1978), Petaling (1978–1982), Kota Melaka (1982–1986), Tanjong (1986–1999), Ipoh Timor (2004–2013), and Gelang Patah (2013-2018).