DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang said this week that the party may perform as badly as it did in the 1982 general election if it fails to convince voters of its significance in the Malaysian political arena.

"The elections this year will be a critical test for the DAP and victory this time around is expected to be more difficult," he said at a party forum on Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's first 100 days as PM in Kuala Lumpur early this week.

In 1982, Lim said, voters were in an euphoria from the "political honeymoon" with the then new prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who assumed office in1981.

That year, the ruling Barisan Nasional won an unprecedented election victory, securing more than a two-third parliamentary majority, by winning 132 of the 154 parliamentary seats.

Reject Islamic state

The landslide BN victory that year saw DAP's parliamentary representation reduced from 16 members of Parliament to nine (with only six in Peninsular Malaysia).

"People must be aware that we stand up and reject the Islamic state but we are not anti-Islam or anti-Malay," Lim said.

"Our MPs are here to ensure that the prime minister keeps his promises, that he implements strong and healthy economic policies, that there will be check and balance," he added.

"And unless the DAP can overcome the overall media blackout, the party will suffer one of its worst performances, similar to its fate in 1982," the veteran DAP leader added.

DAP's clarion call this election would be to ask voters to stand solidly behind the 1957 Merdeka Constitution in order to preserve Malaysia as a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion.

The party had declared that it was prepared to fight it alone in the coming general election, expected to be called between March and April, emphasising that it would never accept the Islamic state, whether ala-Umno or PAS.

The DAP's uncompromising stand on the issue led to its break-up with the Barisan Alternatif, a loose coalition of opposition parties which include PAS, Keadilan and PRM, in 2001.

But while the DAP continues to urge the total rejection of an Islamic state, PAS insists that it would set up such a state if it comes to power, leaving its two allies - Keadilan and PRM - in a dilemma.

However, in order to avoid three cornered fights in hot spots like Penang, Perak and Selangor, the predominantly Chinese-based party has resumed talks with Keadilan on seat allocations after negotiations had been suspended for six months.

Vindicated by recent events

Meanwhile, Lim said that the party's pull-out from BA, despite accusations that it has affected opposition unity, has been vindicated by recent events.

Lim referred to the Terengganu PAS government's rejection of the application by the Culture, Arts and Tourism Ministry for a permit to hold a Kongsi Raya Chinese New Year open house at SK Sultan Sulaiman 1 on Feb 6.

Menteri Besar Abdul Hadi Awang said the state exco rejected the application as the event would be held during Mahgrib prayers and that the venue was unsuitable for entertainment.

However, the ministry went ahead with the event. Despite Abdul Hadi's remarks that it would touch on Malay sensitivities, no action was taken against the ministry.

"The incident showed PAS' lack of sensitivities of a plural Malaysia," Lim said.

The DAP leader also warned Malaysians of the growing competition between Umno and PAS to outdo each other on who was more Islamic.

"Be wary of people who say Abdullah is a moderate Islamic leader and the Islamic state is no longer an issue," he said.

"It is grave mistake because those in power can declare a nation an Islamic state," Lim added.