Keadilan lost the Indera Kayangan by-election with a larger margin. For the faint-hearted, it may seem like the end of the world but for fighters and warriors, it is time to analyse and learn from the mistakes and shortcomings of this campaign so they can improve their strategies next time round.

The 30 percent increase in Chinese votes for Keadilan shows that Barisan Nasional's 'fear' tactics were not that effective and did little to spook even constituencies known for their conservative attitudes.

Keadilan is after all only three years old but is fast catching up with 52-year-old MCA. Its gain in persuasive power among the Chinese in this constituency is a loud message that MCA is not invincible.

Specifically, Keadilan has much to do to win over Chinese women's votes, especially Chinese women in semi-urban and rural constituencies.

What has been disappointing for Keadilan is the considerable decline of the Malay/Muslim support in the constituency. While it may be attributed to larger issues, local factors should not be neglected too. Grassroot organisations, networks and leadership may be lacking or insufficient.

While Keadilan must look into various aspects and various levels of its failure, as well as successes in the by-election, it must not be demoralised by one single defeat on this far-from-level playing field that was clearly tilted to MCA's advantage from the start.

In the next two years, Keadilan must not only further improve its organisation, but also fine-tune its strategies and tactics.

Politics is an ongoing process of campaigns lost and won. Only those who can realistically assess their failures and successes in a balanced manner and stay neither too arrogant or demoralised can endure the long road ahead. The struggle must go on or as is said in Malay, lawan tetap lawan.