Race-based politics will be a stumbling block for opposition parties in mounting a formidable challenge in the coming general election, said a former Umno parliamentarian.

Dr Nungsari Ahmad Radhi said despite their claims of being multiracial, the ethnic composition in these parties reveal otherwise.

"DAP actually is in a bit of a situation. It has survived this far based on Chinese support despite claiming to be multiracial in the issues it champions.

"Without party deputy Karpal Singh, its leadership image is clearly Chinese. More than that, its political fortunes has fluctuated with the Chinese support it receives during elections.

Nungsari, who won the Balik Pulau parliamentary seat in 1995, now heads a research institution, World Enterprise Institute.

DAP's fall

Prior to the 1995 general election, DAP was riding the wave of success with 60 percent of Chinese voters favouring the opposition.

However, the political climate changed in that year and the veteran opposition party was dent a severe blow.

In the last elections, its chairperson Lim Kit Siang and his deputy Karpal also failed to win the seats they contested.

The swing of Chinese votes for the ruling Barisan Nasional in 1995 was believed to be due to the economic boom while Nungsari notes that in the previous elections, there was a shift in the Malay voting pattern due to the sacking and jailing of ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

Whatever the case, the former university lecturer said DAP is a Chinese-based party whose main foes are the BN component parties MCA and Gerakan.

Seat woes

"I suspect DAP wants all the Chinese majority seats, Keadilan would probably not agree to this as 'giving up' these seats would imply that it is not a Chinese supported party," he said.

"On the other hand, PAS will probably want all the 60-70 percent Malay seats which will also make it difficult for Keadilan," he added.

Nungsari said the above situation revealed that the opposition parties have a narrow political appeal.

However, he said Keadilan has been conscious of the multiracial image it wants to project despite the widespread perception that is a 'Malay party'.

"Its issues are also broader and multiracial in nature although there is that Islamic/Malay slant and it has clearly encroached on DAP territory," he said.