Thirty years ago, a young and timid Chow Kon Yeow could not resist accepting the offer to become Lim Kit Siang’s political secretary, when the DAP supremo won the Tanjung seat in Penang.

That career set Chow on his political path, but little did he know that he would one day become Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s “natural choice” to replace him.

The day finally came on June 30 for the 58-year-old Chow, when Lim was slapped with two corruption charges related to the purchase of his RM2.8 million bungalow on Jalan Pinhorn, which he allegedly purchased below market value.