Chow will be my natural choice for successor: Lim

SEBERANG PRAI: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today said the state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow would be his natural successor to replace him as the chief minister should anything happen to him.
He, however, said it is all up to the party to decide on the matter.
"Of course he would be my natural choice, but the final decision will be decided by the party," he told reporters after attending the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) open day today.
Chow, who was with Lim in the MPSP event, meanwhile said everything at this moment is very premature and the response by chief minister is at the right time.
"We have to respond because of an intense media attention, so I think this is a response that we can make," he said.
Chow, last Monday in a statement, said that it will be a tall order for the eventual successor to emulate Lim's success.
A proposed snap election has been mooted by the state government after Lim was charged with corruption and faces jail term if convicted.
Chow, who holds the state local government, traffic management and flood mitigation committee chairman, has been rumoured to helm the chief minister post if Lim is found guilty.
On MCA mulling over to open its membership to non-Chinese, Lim who is also DAP secretary-general remains unfazed by the BN component party's plan.
"They have been talking about it for quite sometime, the party originally is for the Chinese only.
"But can a leopard change its spots?" asked Lim.
On Thursday, MCA youth chief Chong Sin Woon told theSun that the party wing had been asked to start engaging non-Chinese 'associate members' and the move has been approved in principle by party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.
Chong was reported saying to remain as a single-race party will eventually make MCA weak.
Gerakan, MyPPP and several Sarawak and Sabah based party in Barisan Nasional coalition are political parties who have various races and ethnicity as its members.