KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 – DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang will be bestowed with the honorific title of Tan Sri during tomorrow’s investiture ceremony in conjunction with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah’s formal 64th birthday celebrations.
Born on February 20, 1941, Kit Siang is one of the country’s longest serving leaders. He was the longest-serving leader of the DAP party, having served as its head for a total of 29 years on three separate occasions.
Many political observers believe that the journalist-turned politician and lawyer deserves to the award for his decades-long service to the public.
The acceptance of the prestigious award by one of the “grand old men of Malaysian.politics” appears to be a break from tradition by the DAP in that serving politicians in its fold rarely get bestowed state or federal awards in the past to reflect the party’s strong stance in service to the public comes first.
He will possibly be the first DAP party leader to be conferred the title of Tan Sri in the country. Another former DAP politician is also said to have received the Tan Sri title but his came after he quit the DAP and politics altogether.
— WE