TWO years ago, when Lim Guan Eng was charged with corruption, he named his DAP and state government colleague Chow Kon Yeow as his successor as Penang chief minister.

Today, Chow is named the fifth chief minister of Penang due to happier circumstances – Lim is taking on the finance minister post with Pakatan Harapan now in Putrajaya.

“As Penang Pakatan Harapan chief, I announce that I will not continue as chief minister for a third term. I will miss Penang,” Lim said.

“Replacing me as the chief minister is Padang Kota assembly Chow Kon Yeow,” he announced in a packed press conference at his Komtar office this morning attended by all PH assemblymen and several MPs.

The DAP secretary-general, who is also Air Putih assemblyman in Penang, promised he would return to the state. 

Chow will be sworn in as Penang’s fifth chief minister tomorrow morning before state governor Dr Abdul Rahman Abbas at Seri Mutiara.

“I thank Lim for his leadership as CM for the last 10 year that saw Penang achieve many successes,” he said. 

Chow also thanked the people of Penang for giving PH a strong mandate to continue governing the state, and congratulated his PH colleagues who had recently won the elections. 

He also expressed thanks to the three PH candidates who did not win the state seats they contested for, but had given their best fight. 

Chow pledged to fulfil the 68 pledges in Penang PH’s election manifesto, and hoped that the new finance minister and state administration would enjoy close cooperation. 

“I hope we will work closely with the finance ministry so that Penang will get more funds to implement projects we have in the pipeline, like the flood mitigation for Sungai Pinang,” he said, referring to funds Penang had long waited from Putrajaya. 

The soft-spoken politician has been Tanjong MP for four terms, winning the seat in the 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2018 polls.

He also is assemblyman of Tanjong’s Padang Kota state seat, which he has won for three terms since 2008, the year Penang fell to the opposition.

For the last 10 years, Chow has also been the executive councillor  in charge of some of the most important portfolios in the state government - local government and traffic management.

He also once handled environment until the portfolio was transferred to the welfare and caring society exco. Chow also later took on the flood mitigation portfolio.

The Kuala Lumpur-born Chow, who turns 60 this November, is also DAP national vice chairman, who has led Penang DAP as state chief since 1999.

He earned his degree in social sciences from Penang’s Universiti Sains Malaysia. Prior to a life in politics, the father of two was a journalist at the now-defunct daily The Echo. – May 13, 2018.