P Ramasamy said Lim’s decision to step down from the post in order to become the finance minister when Pakatan Harapan came to power in 2018 backfired after the coalition collapsed in 22 months.

The former Perai assemblyman said after PH was toppled, Lim found himself without a position in government, effectively losing both federal and state influence.

And losing both federal and state leadership positions left Lim politically vulnerable, Ramasamy said, adding that it reduced Lim’s ability “to reward allies or discipline opponents”.

It also meant that Lim lacked the administrative power that had once reinforced his political clout, Ramasamy said.

“Had he retained his chief ministership, Lim would have solidified his base in Penang and likely secured a third term in the 2023 state elections.

“In power, he might have been able to prevent the legislation that limited the chief minister’s tenure to two terms,” Ramasamy said in a statement.

Ramasamy, who had served as Lim’s deputy in the Penang government, was commenting on the Bagan MP’s ouster as the DAP chairman at its recent central executive committee elections. Gobind Singh Deo was named DAP chairman after securing the highest number of votes.

Following the outcome of the party polls, Ramasamy claimed that Lim made another mistake – accepting the role of party adviser.

Ramasamy claimed that by accepting the role, Lim “implicitly acknowledged” the leadership of current secretary-general Loke Siew Fook.

“If the party had truly intended to maintain Lim’s influence, he could have been reappointed DAP chairman, given that he remained a CEC member.”

Ramasamy went on to say that Lim must now ask himself whether his current role in the party allowed him to meaningfully influence Malaysia’s future, adding that the former chairman still had time to reshape his political trajectory.

“The question Lim must now answer is simple. Will he remain sidelined, or will he fight to reclaim his place in Malaysia’s political landscape?”