I fully agree with Abdullah Junid's conclusion about Dr Chandra Muzaffar in When the going gets tough, Chandra gets going. Is he now styling himself as the poster boy of Malaysia-boleh politics? If he is, he seems to fit in quite well.

Whether Chandra will join the ranks of the many opportunistic politicians who left opposition parties to find favour at Umnos doors is yet unknown, but his leaving Keadilan is no big deal. No one is indispensable.

Goh Hock Guan and Fan Yew Teng left DAP, Nakhaie Ahmad and Mohamad Nasir left PAS, and Kassim Ahmad left PSRM to join Umno. They were supposed to be among the learned leaders in their former parties. After their departure, DAP is still around, PAS got stronger, PSRM became PRM and enjoyed more popularity.

Then, there are those infamous deserters who will leave one party to join another just before an election. They are usually not high-profile members but their desertion is certainly staged to be a dramatic one, as if their leaving will mean an end for their parties. Little is heard of these betrayers since but quite likely, they are still begging for some recognition in Umno or BN.

Keadilan will not go down the drain just because Chandra left. In fact, many will be watching with a keen interest how Chandra, who is reputed to be a principled academic and intellectual, will conduct himself as ex-Keadilan deputy president.