FINANCE Minister Lim Guan Eng said he would not have wanted the position if he was appointed because of his race.

He told people at a thanksgiving lunch for Air Putih DAP, where he is the assemblyman, that he had been chosen by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad because of his experience in running the Penang state government.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to be finance minister if I was chosen just because I was Chinese. I’m Malaysian, not Chinese. You must choose me on the basis of my capability to deliver.

“It’s a very tough job, but like what Dr Mahathir said today, he chose me because of my ability and how I had turned Penang around. He saw Penang’s good financial performance and that we recorded annual surpluses. That’s why he wants the best to save the country,” the DAP secretary-general said.

Lim’s remarks were reported on his Facebook page. The lunch was held to thank voters in the seat for their support. Lim is also the Bagan MP.

Lim was Penang chief minister for two terms, from 2008 to 2018.

His appointment as finance minister marks the first in a long time for a Chinese politician since 1974, when then-MCA president Tan Siew Sin held the position.

Lim was quick to tell the press upon being named finance minister that he considered himself a Malaysian, and did not focus on his Chinese ethnicity. – May 27, 2018.