Lim Kit Siang, a household 'opposition brand', embarked o­n a voyage down memory lane during his 62nd birthday celebration with hundreds of supporters and party members at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur last night.

The veteran politician and DAP national chairperson was shown a montage of pictures that documented his political career over the past 37 years.

He later told the guests that he would not emulate PAS spiritual leader and Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat who recently said he would contest in elections until he dies.

But, the opposition icon said he believed he could "continue to play a meaningful political role" in the creation of a better Malaysia.

This, he added, is if DAP felt he could "contribute in a leadership role" and if the people regard his political work still useful.

Those gathered at the dinner greeted his statement with a rapturous applause, and this could mean that Lim, who first became parliamentary opposition leader in 1973 at the age of 32, will be present in the country's political scene for some time to come.

The law graduate from University of London was also the country's longest serving opposition leader from 1975 to 1999.

Commitment undiminished

When met during the dinner, he told malaysiakini that his political commitment and interest was "undiminished" with the passing years.

"I would have probably been an editor by now if I did not become a politician. I was working for a Singapore newspaper then. But there was a calling for me to enter politics and I had to answer it," he said.

Despite his age, Lim continues to be a political powerhouse, churning out tens of statements each week o­n various local and international issues as well as regularly attending functions throughout the country.

His political stamina is o­n par with, if not better than, many young politicians o­n both sides of the divide.

During the montage presentation, the DAP leader was overcome with a sense of nostalgia and said memories about his joys and sorrows had flooded his mind.

Recalling o­ne particular incident, Lim said in April 1955, when he was in Form o­ne, he cycled with two classmates from their hometown in Batu Pahat to Muar and Melaka in order "to see the outside world".

Throughout the two-day 96-km trip, their conversation had focussed o­n politics rather than fashion or trends.

"I remember that the issue which dominated our discussion was the Afro-Asian Bandung Conference which was held at the same time."

He said the event was an electrifying moment for him and had shaped his political consciousness.

"It was attended by towering leaders of the anti-colonialism struggle such as India's Jawaharlal Nehru, Indonesia's Sukarno, China's Chou En Lai, Ho Chi Minh, Egypt's Gamel Abdel Nasser, and Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah.

"The conference signalled the coming together of the colonialised and oppressed people of the Third World to liberate themselves and break the chains of colonialism and subjection," he said.

Two of the three boys grew up to be teachers while Lim, born o­n Feb 20, 1941, went o­n to pursue a law degree in University of London and joined DAP in 1966.

This marked the beginning of an illustrious political career which will transform the small town lad into a political giant, feared and respected by his adversaries while revered by his supporters.

ISA detention

Lim became the party's secretary-general and a member of Parliament in 1969 and the ensuing years spent as an opposition figure, was not without a price.

He has been detained twice under the Internal Security Act for a total of 22 months and has been convicted of various other charges.

The biggest blow to his political career came in the 1999 general election, when he lost the Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat in Penang.

Following this, Lim had offered to quit from his party post but finally decided to stay o­n, citing the support of grassroots and party leaders.

For a change, he became the party national chairperson and the secretary-general's post was handed to his former political secretary Kerk Kim Hock.

Since then, the criticisms against him have become louder.

Detractors claim DAP is burdened with organisational problems and has come to an ideological dead-end. They blame Lim for these problems and said he must leave and make way for new leaders.

The interest in whether he will lead the party into and contest in the next national polls was rekindled recently.

He had repeatedly called o­n all Cabinet members, mostly politicians of his generation, to quit after Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad retires later this year.

But Lim had said last month that his personal plan for the next general election is not important compared to the future direction of the country after Mahathir is succeeded by his deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

At last night's dinner, he said questions regarding DAP's plan for the general election and all related matters must now be referred to Kerk.

Instead, he spelled out his birthday wish and said he hoped Malaysians will not turn the country into an Islamic state and will respect the first prime minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman's vision of a secular, democratic Malaysia during the Independence.

Fantastic leader

In his speech later, Kerk had defended Lim's position in the party. "No o­ne in DAP can compare to Kit Siang. Many people say Kit Siang is DAP and DAP is Kit Siang, but I say what's wrong with that?

"If Kit Siang is equated to DAP, we should be proud about that. We are proud to have a fantastic leader like him," he said.

He said he had learnt a lot from Lim and DAP life adviser Dr Chen Man Hin ( left ) whom he said were the "twin dynamo" of the party.

Once again, the more than 300 guests broke into an applause.

Apart from the speeches, those present were also serenaded by several party stalwarts, including Lim.

DAP international affairs secretary and MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok led the crowd to sing a popular number by Hong Kong artiste Alan Tam's Pang Yau and and a birthday song for Lim before he cut the cake.

Lim, his son Guan Eng, daughter-in-law Betty Chew, and three grandchildren also formed an ad hoc Lim Family Choir to perform a song after being requested by Kerk.

Supporters also presented the veteran leader with specially chosen gifts such as a decorative item called 'Rocket Lamp' to symbolise the party logo and a pack of toothpicks incidentally called 'Kit Siang toothpicks'.

Books and VCDs o­n Lim sold by the DAP ICT bureau were snapped up in minutes, raising a total of RM1,000 for the development of broadcast feature o­n the party's website.

The birthday bash for the party's numero uno ended o­n a happy note but his speech is bound to start another fresh round of speculation as to whether he will celebrate his 63rd birthday as DAP national chairperson as well.