Lim Kit Siang – The Longest Served Opposition Leader

Lim Kit Siang first emerged as a politician when he was National Organising Secretary of the DAP from 1966 to 1969. The course of the political landscape changed when he was promoted to Secretary-General in 1969 after being acting Secretary-General for a short period during an unstable period in the country's history.

Lim was first elected as an MP for the Kota Melaka seat in 1969. His election was initially held to be void, however, because the law prohibited an election agent who had previously failed to discharge his duties from standing for election in the future.

Apart from 1999 - 2004 where he lost his seat due to the Chinese disenchantment with DAP entering into a political pact with the Islamism PAS for the general elections, Lim represented various constituencies in four states:

• Bandar Melaka (1969 - 1974)

• Kota Melaka (1974 - 1978)

• Petaling Jaya (1978 -1982)

• Kota Melaka (1982 - 1986)

• Tanjong (1986 - 1999)

• Ipoh Timur (since 2004)

In 1969 Kit Siang was detained under the Internal Security Act for 18 months. Ten years later, in 1979, he was convicted of five charges under Official Secrets Act for exposing an inappropriate arms deal between the government and a Swiss company. He was one of the people arrested during "Operation Lalang" in 1987 for inciting racism. He spent some years in prison under the ISA.

Lim Kit Siang served as opposition leader from 1973 to 1999; he lost his seat in 1999 election and his seat succeeded by Dato Fadzil Noor from PAS. He retain his seat in 2004 general election and appointed as opposition leader again until 2007 general election. By convention, the Leader of the Opposition comes from the political party that secures the largest number of seats in the Dewan Rakyat, and which is not in government. The Leader of Opposition is often seen as the Prime Minister in waiting. The present Opposition Leader is Wan Azizah Wan Ismail of the People's Justice Party (PKR). Together with Democratic Action Party (DAP), the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) formed Pakatan Rakyat.