Lim said DAP Kedah leaders in Alor Star yesterday suggested the long-serving opposition politician contest in Kedah in the 14th general election, expected to be called soon.

“If I contest in the 14GE, my first choice will be Gelang Patah.

“But if there is a strategic reason that I should contest in another constituency, I am prepared to give it serious consideration,” Lim said in a statement after his walkabout at Kangkar Pulai, Johor this morning.

Lim however said he was also considering retirement.

“I thank the Kedah DAP leaders for their confidence and offer.

"I have been struggling with the question whether I should call it a day as I have been in Malaysian politics for 51 years, since the formation of DAP in 1966,” he said.

Lim, who was formerly Ipoh Timor MP in Perak, moved to contest in Johor in the 13th general election in 2013, as part of the party's efforts to penetrate the Umno stronghold.

He won the Gelang Patah seat with a 14,762 majority over Umno's Abdul Ghani Othman.

It was formerly held by MCA's Tan Ah Eng.

Attacks 'desperate'

Lim said he has clocked nearly 20,000 kilometres in the past three months, travelling all over Malaysia to spread his message to save the country at the upcoming general election, which he called the “mother of all general elections”.

Umno-BN, he said, was “pulling out all the stops” to prevent its possible defeat, he said, and has resorted to all manner of “unethical, dishonest, unprincipled and unscrupulous tactics”.

“This was why in the past two days, I was subjected to attacks by two sides of the political spectrum,” he said, pointing to the 'missing person' banners in the Gelang Patah constituency, and the “attack” by Umno information chief Musa Annuar, offering RM10,000 prize for the best essay on whether Lim is racist.

“Annuar has proven himself to be a cheapskate, low-class and irresponsible politician [by making] allegations and then desperately look for evidence to substantiate them,” he said, adding the act was a “desperate” one for the Umno leader.