The DAP today categorically denied that the approaching Sarawak state election and the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the US influenced its decision to leave the Barisan Alternatif.

DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang said the party's central executive committee decided to pull out from the opposition coalition because of its failure to resolve the Islamic state controversy with PAS.

"It has nothing to do whatsoever with the Sept 11 terrorist mass murders in New York City and Washington DC or the Sarawak state election," he said.

Lim explained that it was pure coincidence that the CEC chose to split from the BA prior to the Sarawak state election and after the terrorist attacks.

However, The Star reported yesterday that the attacks prompted DAP leaders to pull out of the opposition front.

It reported DAP life adviser Dr Chen Man Hin as saying that some of the party's leaders who were unsure about the withdrawal, were convinced that they should split after the attacks.

"The Islamic state issue is something very serious and not some far-off thing. They feel the heat of Islamic fanaticism, including the visions of the Taliban, Iran and Iraq," the newspaper quoted Chen.

According to Lim, the CEC had wanted the final meeting between DAP and PAS leaders to be held as early as possible, preferably by the end of August or the latest by early September.

"But, a DAP-PAS meeting could not be scheduled at the end of August or even early September as most of the key PAS leaders were out of the country at the time," Lim said, adding that the earliest date available for the two parties to meet was Sept 22.

BN caught off-guard

The DAP leader believed that the timing of the pullout, in the midst of the battle for the Sarawak legislative seats, has thrown Barisan Nasional leaders, especially the Sarawak United People's Party in Sarawak, totally off-guard.

He said SUPP in its election rounds had been accusing DAP of defending the PAS Islamic state.

"SUPP leaders who accuse the DAP of 'sandiwara' are either betraying their political illiteracy or deceit," Lim said.

He advised SUPP leaders to read DAP's latest publication, BA and Islamic State, which documented DAP's approach on the issue of Islamic state.

He revealed that the series of meetings between DAP and PAS to resolve the issue finally broke down when the PAS leadership was not prepared to concede that an Islamic state is not feasible in Malaysia.

'Act of desperation'

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Democratic Party (MDP), a splinter party of dissidents from DAP, called upon the people of Sarawak to reject DAP and vote for other opposition parties.

Its secretary-general Wee Choo Keong said the DAP pullout from BA was "an act of desperation" to fool Sarawak voters.

He said that it was "most unbelievable" to hear from DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock last Saturday that the party had decided to withdraw from the opposition coalition after much thought.

"It is too good to be true that the DAP pullout at this particular time was not done to fish for votes in the Sarawak state election," he said.

Wee said the DAP was fully aware that PAS would not forsake its intention of setting up an Islamic state in Malaysia yet it still chose to forge the coalition with PAS in the 1999 general elections.

"It was clear that DAP practises the politics of expediency just to win seats during elections and will keep on changing the goal posts as the game is played," he said.

DAP pulled out from BA after it failed to resolve the Islamic state controversy at a meeting with PAS last Saturday.