The Penang DAP’s 50th anniversary celebrations will not be marred by the corruption charges against the party’s secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Penang DAP deputy chief Jagdeep Singh Deo said today.

“On the contrary, we stand in solidarity with Lim Guan Eng and the anniversary celebrations will be a platform for us to show our support for him, as we have always maintained that the charges against him have no basis,” Jagdeep said at a press conference in Penang.

He said this when asked if the state DAP’s 50th anniversary celebrations would be overshadowed or dampened by the chief minister’s ongoing corruption case.

Lim will be in court on Sept 30 for the mention of his case. He has claimed trial to two counts of corruption related to the “below market value” purchase of his RM2.8 million bungalow on Jalan Pinhorn from businesswoman Phang Li Khoon.

Jagdeep (photo) said DAP’s 50 years of struggle in Penang have been compiled in a book by veteran member Gooi Seong Kin, who is also a state DAP committee member.

Gooi has served as a Penang Island City Councillor, as the political secretary to DAP senior adviser Lim Kit Siang and as a special officer to the CM in charge of Chinese education and Chinese organisation affairs.

Gooi in his book presents the struggles, blood, sweat and tears of the Penang DAP through its journey spanning 50 years, from being an opposition party to becoming the leading party in the present state government, added Jagdeep.

The book, titled “DAP 50 - half a century of struggle” will be launched on at 11am on Sept 24 at the party’s state headquarters on Jalan Rangoon.

“The history of the DAP forms a significant part of the political history of Malaysia,” said Jagdeep, who is the state executive councillor in charge of Town and Country Planning and Housing.

“The political journey and struggles over half-a-century may be considered very long, but it certainly took the blood, sweat and tears of an entire generation to lay the strong foundation for today,” he said.

'An extraordinary political journey'

In his foreword in the book, Lim says that the political journey and struggles of DAP are an “extraordinary one” that required a lot of strength and perseverance.

Jagdeep said DAP opened its first branch in Penang in 1966, and that the party has been defeated several times in the past general elections.

“Only through sheer determination that, in 2008, the DAP finally received the mandate from the people of Penang for the first time, and we continued to play the role of the state government again in 2013,” the Dato Keramat assemblyperson said.

Jagdeep said the party will also organise a dinner in conjunction with the 50th anniversary at the SPICE Arena, at 7pm on Sept 24.

Other than Penang DAP leaders, DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua (Petaling Jaya Utara MP) and PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli (Pandan MP) will speak at the event.

“The objective of both activities in commemorating the 50th anniversary is to raise funds to prepare for the 14th general election,” Jagdeep said.

“We would like to urge the public to be generous in supporting our new book and dinner so that the DAP is strong enough to face the BN machinery and their resources in GE14,” he added.

GE14 must be called by July 2018, but speculation is rife that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak may announce a snap general election - possibly by March next year - to secure a fresh mandate.

Widespread criticism of Najib’s alleged involvement in the various financial allegations related to 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion donations in his private bank accounts are the reasons political observers say are the likely cause for an early GE14.