Biography
Lim Guan Eng (born 8 December 1960) is a Malaysian politician and accountant who served as Minister of Finance from 2018 to 2020 and as the fourth Chief Minister of Penang from 2008 to 2018. He is the Member of Parliament for Bagan and the Penang state assemblyman for Air Putih, and has been an adviser to the Democratic Action Party (DAP) since 2025. He is the son of Lim Kit Siang, who led the parliamentary opposition for most of the period between 1973 and 2008. Lim was educated at Batu Pahat High School and Malacca High School and graduated in economics from Monash University in Australia, working as a senior bank executive before entering politics. He was first elected in 1986 as MP for Kota Melaka, defeating Soh Chin Ann, and became the first person to win that seat three times consecutively. He chaired DAP's socialist youth wing from 1989, became deputy secretary-general in 1995, and was the party's secretary-general — its effective leader — from 2004 to 2022, a tenure that spanned DAP's growth from a small opposition party into the largest single party in the Dewan Rakyat. Lim led the coalition that took Penang in 2008 and governed the state for two terms, a period marked by large infrastructure commitments and by his administration's emphasis on open tenders and state finances. Appointed Finance Minister in the first Pakatan Harapan government, he inherited the fiscal aftermath of the 1MDB scandal and served until the government's collapse in February 2020. He has been the subject of repeated legal proceedings, including a corruption charge relating to the Penang undersea tunnel project brought after his time as chief minister, and has himself brought several defamation suits. His wife, Betty Chew Gek Cheng, is a former Malacca state assemblywoman.
Constituencies (2)
Electoral track record
| Year | Party | Votes | % | Majority | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-PRN6 | DAP | 8,996 | — | — | Won |
| 2023 | PH | 8,996 | 85.63% | — | Won |
| 2022 | DAP | 55,797 | 81.27% | — | Won |
| 2018 | PH | 9,362 | 85.61% | — | Won |
| 2018 | PKR | 51,653 | 85.96% | — | Won |
| 2015 | PH ( DAP ) | — | — | — | Won |
| 2013 | DAP | 9,626 | 83.65% | — | Won |
| 2013 | DAP | 46,466 | 78.62% | — | Won |
| 2013 | DAP | 9,243 | — | — | Won |
| 2008 | DAP | 33,748 | 74.29% | — | Won |
| 2008 | DAP | 6,601 | 72.21% | — | Won |
| 1995 | DAP | 29,647 | — | — | Won |
| 1990 | DAP | 33,993 | 63.52% | — | Won |
| 1986 | DAP | 34,573 | 67.08% | — | Won |
| 1967-SABAH | INDEPENDENT - BELL | 14 | — | — | Lost |
| 1964 | LPM | 4,231 | — | — | Lost |
Parliamentary activity
From 249 Dewan Rakyat sittings- 3 Mar 2026· Sitting 20Present
- 2 Mar 2026· Sitting 19Present
- 26 Feb 2026· Sitting 18Present
- 25 Feb 2026· Sitting 17Absent
- 24 Feb 2026· Sitting 161Present
- 23 Feb 2026· Sitting 15Present
- 12 Feb 2026· Sitting 14Present
- 11 Feb 2026· Sitting 13Present
- 10 Feb 2026· Sitting 122Present
- 9 Feb 2026· Sitting 11Present
- 5 Feb 2026· Sitting 10Present
- 4 Feb 2026· Sitting 91Present
- Rang Undang-undang Perlembagaan Persekutuan (Pindaan) 20262 Mar 2026Yes
- Division4 Nov 2025Yes
- RANG UNDANG-UNDANG PEKERJA GIG 202528 Aug 2025Yes
- RANG UNDANG-UNDANG PERLEMBAGAAN (PINDAAN) 20254 Mar 2025Yes
- RANG UNDANG-UNDANG PERLEMBAGAAN (PINDAAN) 20254 Mar 2025Yes
- RANG UNDANG-UNDANG PERLEMBAGAAN (PINDAAN) 202417 Oct 2024Yes
- RANG UNDANG-UNDANG PERLEMBAGAAN (PINDAAN) 202417 Oct 2024Yes
- Division18 Jul 2024Yes
- RANG UNDANG-UNDANG SURUHANJAYA PENERBANGAN MALAYSIA (PEMBUBARAN) 202426 Jun 2024Yes
- RANG UNDANG-UNDANG TENAGA BOLEH BAHARU (PINDAAN) 202325 May 2023Yes
Attendance, participation & recorded votes extracted from official Hansard records.
Connections (371)
Explore network- Ahmad MaslanUMNO100% aligned
- Hanifah Hajar TaibPBB100% aligned
- Hannah Yeoh Tseow SuanDAP100% aligned
- Rubiah binti WangPBB100% aligned
- Siti Aminah binti AchingUMNO100% aligned
- Aiman Athirah Al JundiAMANAH100% aligned
- Huang Tiong SiiSUPP100% aligned
- Teo Nie ChingDAP100% aligned
- Lukanisman bin Awang SauniPBB100% aligned
- Wilson Ugak anak KumbongPRS100% aligned
News sentiment over time
418 mentions across 17 months
News mentions
Summaries, sentiment labels and article-to-politician links here are generated automatically and can be wrong. Each item links to its original source — treat that as the record. How we generate this. Spotted a mistake? Use “Report an issue”.
Zahid's ministry to get RM500m from other ministries' savings to cover overspending
The Finance Ministry allocated an additional RM500 million to the Rural and Regional Ministry to cover overspending, drawing criticism from…
Why you’re seeing this: About Lim Guan Eng
Lim Guan Eng urges govt to consider RM1,000 tax rebate for Malaysians buying air purifiers amid haze crisis
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — DAP’s Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng today urged the government to give Malaysians a special RM1,000 tax rebate to buy air…
Why you’re seeing this: About Lim Guan Eng
Dana tambahan RM500 juta dilulus untuk kementerian Zahid selepas terlebih belanja
Menteri Kewangan Anwar Ibrahim mengesahkan peruntukan tambahan RM500 juta untuk KKDW selepas perbelanjaan melebihi alokasi, sambil…
Why you’re seeing this: Mentions Lim Guan Eng
RM500mil in extra funds approved for Zahid’s ministry after overspending
Finance minister Anwar Ibrahim approved an additional RM500 million for Zahid's rural and regional development ministry for 2026 after…
Why you’re seeing this: About Lim Guan Eng
Firdaus Wong vs Lim Guan Eng: Pork Festival Squabble Trigger High Court Defamation Battle - TRP | The Rakyat Post
Why you’re seeing this: Mentions Lim Guan Eng
Showing the 5 most recent of 18 tracked mentions.