The Right To Differ - A Biographical Sketch of Lim Kit Siang - Ooi Kee Beng

LIM KIT SIANG has been on the forefront of Malaysian politics ever since the Democratic Action Party was registered in 1966. Despite being incarcerated without trial on two occasions - in 1969 and 1987 - for a total of three years, he remains a major political figure standing in opposition to the path of race-based politics taken by the country's long-term ruling coalition. The courage and persistence of this former journalist in championing parlimentary democracy and liberal values in the face of authoritarianism have shaped Malaysia's political landscape in more profound ways that normally assumed.

Lim Kit Siang could not - and cannot - be ignored.

But be that as it may, little has been written about his inexhaustible politician. This book - based on a long interview with him - is an attempt at rectifying this knowledge gap and at narrating the biography of this inspiring figure.

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Dr OOI KEE BENG was born and raised in Penang, Malaysia. His books include the award-winning The Reluctant Politician: Tun Dr Ismail and His Time (2006); in Lieu of Idealogy: The Intellectual Biography of Goh Keng Swee (2010); March 8: Eclipsing May 13 (2008): Malaysia's First Year at the United Nations (2009); Lost in Transition: Malaysia Under Abdullah (2007) and Between UMNO and a Hard Place (2010). he is a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Visiting Associate Professor at Hong Kong City University and National University of Singapore, and editor of the Penang Economic Monthly.