KUALA LUMPUR – Gobind Singh Deo’s perceived neutrality in DAP’s factional politics and the party members’ desire for fresh leadership at the national level have contributed to his strong performance in the party’s leadership election, political analysts say.
Gobind scored a surprise victory in DAP’s election for the 30-member Central Executive Committee (CEC) for the 2025-2028 term, securing the highest number of votes with 2,785. This victory sees him succeed Lim Guan Eng as the party’s chairman.
His triumph comes after his defeat in last year’s Selangor DAP elections, where he lost the state chairmanship after two terms in the role.
Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Gobind’s success could be attributed to party delegates’ preference for a leader who is not aligned with any faction within the party.
“Gobind got the most votes because of the existence of two camps – the Anthony Loke and Lim Guan Eng camps. As I see it, he does not belong to either of these two factions,” he told Scoop when contacted.
“I guess a lot of the delegates felt very comfortable putting their votes on Gobind in this case.”
Meanwhile, Associate Professor Azmil Tayeb of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) said party members likely viewed Gobind as a compromise candidate, which contributed to his strong showing.
“Perhaps he is seen as the best compromise leader between Lim and anti-Lim factions (by delegates),” he said.
Professor James Chin of the University of Tasmania suggested Gobind’s success stemmed from his decision to remain neutral rather than align with Lim or the faction pushing for a new generation of leaders.
“He sort of stood in the middle and let the two factions fight it out,” Chin said when contacted.
“(Additionally) a lot of them (delegates) are sending the signal to the top leadership that they want Gobind to be the next chairman, which is consistent with the fact that his father, (the late Datuk Seri) Karpal Singh, was the chairman for a very long time as well.”
Karpal served as the party’s chairman for a decade from 2004 until 2014, stepping down in February that year following a second conviction under the Sedition Act 1948.
A win-win outcome
Lim, who is also Bagan MP, assumed the DAP chairmanship in 2022 after handing over the secretary-general’s role to Anthony Loke. He had served as the party’s secretary-general for the preceding 17 years.
However, Lim underperformed in this party election, securing only the 26th spot with 1,719 votes. Despite this, he was appointed party advisor, succeeding veteran leader Tan Kok Wai, who opted not to contest.
Azmi noted that DAP could have chosen to re-elect Lim as chairman as a “face-saving” measure, given his status as a senior leader.
“However, by making Gobind chairman and Lim the advisor, they (DAP) can justify the decision by pointing out that Gobind secured the most votes, making him the appropriate choice for chairman, while Lim is ‘elevated’ to the advisor post.
“I think it’s a win-win situation for Lim and DAP as a whole,” Azmi added. – March 16, 2025