I have followed Dr Chandra Muzaffar's "political career" since the early 1980s and his actions vis-a-vis Keadilan and the flak he is attracting now do not surprise me.

I must admit I do not know the man personally, but going by his public behaviour, I came to the conclusion long ago that this was a shrewd man who dances to his own tune whatever the circumstances.

He has parlayed his status as an intellectual into a national and international profile for himself by being an oppositionist against the government.

But Chandra has always had a keen understanding of the limits he could go to as a Malaysian oppositionist without tripping the wire that would bring really bad official wrath upon himself.

You will not find Chandra tripping that wire. He does just enough to remain in the headlines without having to pay any kind of personal price. In fact, he has been an ideal opposition poster boy for the Malaysian government to flaunt its democratic credentials internationally.

Chandra knows that an individual needs an institutional vehicle to be credible, even in opposition. Joining an opposition political party pre-Anwar was a little risky for Muzaffar's brand of mellow issue-oriented protest and what appears to be a totally personal agenda.

So he started Aliran, a vaguely defined social issues vehicle whose sole purpose appeared to be to provide Chandra a platform to propel himself into prominence. And what's more sexy to woo the international media than an outspoken intellectual who belongs to a human/social/economic/et cetera rights organisation?

Only thing is, I wonder until today how large the membership of Aliran was. Probably, Chandra has a bunch of common-interest Chandranites stashed away to instantly populate any organisation he sets up.

The hawk-eyed Chandra obviously saw an opportunity to enhance his profile and prospects when Keadilan was formed during the heyday of the Anwar Ibrahim saga.

After all, for a while it seemed like it was just a matter of time before Anwar and his people were swept into power on a wave of popular discontent.

So he joined Keadilan. His previous reputation and status as an intellectual provided Keadilan another facet of credibility. And in the last general elections, he came close to getting into Parliament.

But that initial euphoria has faded, and common wisdom now is that in the short term at least, Keadilan's chances of unseating the government have faded badly.

Chandra reads the tea leaves better than most, and it is hardly surprising he has bolted from Keadilan, as have a lot of other opportunists.

It is not for outsiders to judge what happened within Keadilan — it is probably a mix of different factors — but for people like me, it's proven once again that when the going gets tough, Chandra hits the exit running.

Now, he has set up Aliran 2' — the mysterious International Movement for a Just World. Don't be surprised if a membership check turns up his bunch of Chandranites again.

The DAP seems enamoured with him now. I suggest they should pause to ponder Chandra's history for a moment before welcoming him in.