(AFP) The party backing jailed ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim is battling to retain its relevance at a conference this weekend as political divides sharpen in Malaysia's weakened opposition.

Keadilan, led by Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, will hold its first internal elections amid signs of growing factionalism, although her own position is not threatened.

Aside from dealing with reports of internal squabbling, the party will also address its position in a weakened opposition alliance.

Chandra Muzaffar, the party's ex-deputy president and a strong critic of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, last month announced a decision to quit active politics at the end of his tenure Friday.

'A great loss'

Chandra's stepping down was tagged "a great loss to the struggle to bring greater stability and sanity in Malaysian politics," by Lim Kit Siang, chairman of DAP.

His exit came just one month after the DAP announced that it would cut relations with the Muslim-dominated PAS amid a rift over the controversial issue of an Islamic state.

With that, the Chinese-dominated party ceased to be a member of the four-party Alternative Front opposition coalition which grouped PAS, Keadilan and the Malaysian People's Party (PRM).

The terror attacks on the United States on Sept 11 are believed to have sharpened dissent within the grouping.

Keadilan, which seeks its main support in Malaysia's Muslim majority, began its three-day conference in the northeastern state of Terengganu today with elections for the youth and women's wing.

President Wan Azizah was due to address the conference tomorrow morning and would focus on the party's direction and "contemporary issues" such as political freedom and restrictions on the opposition, her spokesman told AFP.

Internal factionalism

Issues dealing with the party's stand on forming an Islamic state and its position in the opposition alliance, however, would most likely be "carefully ignored", The Sun newspaper reported.

The daily claimed that the party's failure to stand out in recent by-elections was due to the fact that many of its supporters and members had admitted that the sole purpose of the party was to free Anwar.

"Given that the party is also headed by Anwar's wife and the internal factionalism that has become apparent, many are asking whether the party can survive beyond next year, despite its claimed 300,000 membership," it said.

The party won five seats in the 193-seat parliament during the country's last general elections in 1999.

The two-year old party was formed shortly after Anwar was sacked from his post as deputy prime minister in September 1998. He has since been jailed for a total of 15 years after being convicted of sodomy and abuse of power.

Anwar claims he was framed to prevent a political challenge to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, an allegation the government denies.