The fact that DAP does not want to contest in the Indera Kayangan by-election where there is a substantial number of Chinese voters speaks volumes of the accumulated weaknesses of the pre-dominantly Chinese opposition party that claims to defend non-Muslims' rights and secularism.

Without strong and comprehensive grassroots organisation, how could we expect DAP to defend whatever rights it alleges to be under threat? This is secular realism in its simplest expression.

DAP could have made up for its organisational weaknesses on the ground by supporting Keadilan, and strengthening it in rural and semi-rural constituencies like Indera Kayangan so that the non-Muslim votes would not go to Barisan Nasional or PAS.

However, due to the lack of a mature and thinking leadership, DAP has decided to isolate itself from the pool of Keadilan supporters, including many Chinese on the ground.

Win or lose in the by-election, if Keadilan has managed to provide a platform for the Chinese on the ground to air their grievances, DAP will be in great trouble because between an opposition party that has only a weak base on the ground, and a strong one, the Chinese masses would most likely to opt for the latter.

DAP will only be left with the numerical insignificant verbal support of some noisy secular yuppies from Bangsar and Singapore. Politics in the real world in Malaysia is still about mass mobilisation, not scholarly debates on Islamic or Christian theologies, or secular ideologies.

With Barisan Alternatif holding firm the Malay/Muslim opposition ground, and Keadilan/PRM attracting more and more Chinese opposition supporters on the ground, DAP will certainly end up as a great debating club in the London School of Economics and Political Science, or the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, with no real relevance to politics on the ground.