The Malaysian Democratic Party (MDP) said it has no qualm about entering into multi-cornered contests with other opposition parties in the coming general election.

MDP secretary-general Wee Choo Keong said the party was only eyeing a few seats and it seems unlikely that DAP or Barisan Alternatif would give way to the party to contest in a straight fight with Barisan Nasional.

Wee declined to reveal the number of seats MDP would be contesting but said it would be less than the 1999 general election.

In the last elections, MDP, who generally fared badly, fielded its candidates in 12 parliamentary and 13 state seats.

A splinter party of the DAP, MDP was set up in November 1999, 10 days before the last polls were called, by party members who cited differences with DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang.

Other opposition parties were unhappy with MDP's participation in the last general election and saw it as an attempt by the party to split votes in several constituencies.

That year, the BA which then consisted of PAS, DAP, Keadilan and PRM had agreed to a one-to-one fight against the BN.

While it claimed to be an opposition party, it was widely reported that the MDP had attempted to become part of the ruling coalition but Wee dismissed the notion by saying "Only Lim Kit Siang would like to see that".

DAP inconsistent

Wee, a former DAP Bukit Bintang member of Parliament, claimed that the MDP has an advantage over other opposition parties as it does not practise "political expediency".

He described the DAP as a party which practised "political summersaults" and was inconsistent in their struggles viz a viz the Islamic state.

"We have been consistent in our beliefs. Unlike the DAP, who in 1995, was against the Islamic state. In 1999, however, they said that it was alright to be allies with PAS, then in 2001, they changed their mind again."

DAP left the BA in September 2001 due to PAS insistence on forming an Islamic state.

In a related matter, Wee said the party was ready to launch its election manifesto.

He said the party would focus on its anti-Islamic stance and wants greater effort in fighting corruption by the ruling government.

He criticised the arrest of several senior government officials for corruption since Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came into power in November last year.

"We want a real fight against corruption, not a sandiwara (charade). Anything less than RM100 million is not corruption by Malaysian standards," Wee said.