DAP today criticised Keadilan over its claims concerning the Indera Kayangan by-election results and described the conflicting versions provided by several party leaders on the voting trend as "ridiculous".

In a press statement, DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang said: "The claims are so conflicting as to range from an increase of Chinese votes for Keadilan as far apart as some 240 votes to 840 votes as compared to 1999."

Lim also called on Keadilan's top leadership to stop its leaders from giving diametrically conflicting analyses of the results which he termed as "ridiculous".

The veteran politician said DAP officials were prepared to work with their counterparts in Keadilan to analyse the voting trends in the Indera Kayangan by-election.

He said a true and correct picture of the voting pattern was needed to develop the strategy to counter Barisan Nasional's electoral trump cards - the Sept 11 terror attacks on America and the Taliban atrocities in Afghanistan.

In last Saturday's by-election, BN candidate and retired school headmistress Oui Ah Lan, defeated Keadilan's Khoo Yang Chong with a majority of 2,592 votes.

The Indera Kayangan state seat fell vacant following the death of BN state assembly representative Khor Liang Tee last month.

Conflicting versions

Immediately after the results were announced, Keadilan leaders claimed the party managed to obtain a 30 percent increase in Chinese votes.

On Sunday, a Keadilan Chinese leader told Sin Chew Jit Poh that Khoo secured an increase of about 800 Chinese votes but Malay votes plummeted from 60 percent in1999 to 30 percent.

The party's Youth executive committee member Diong Chi Tzuoh told malaysiakini on the same day that the party had managed to garner 620 Chinese votes compared to 152 in 1999.

Meanwhile, Keadilan's official website claimed the party's percentage of Malay votes slipped from 65 percent in 1999 to 40 percent last Saturday.

The website also stated that the party saw an increase in Chinese votes from five percent in 1999 to 35 percent. It added the party obtained 22 out of the 722 postal votes.

"This does not tally with what should be the total votes for Keadilan, as such a performance should give the party some 2,155 votes when it actually got only 1,687 votes.

"Where did the balance of about 500 disappear to?" queried Lim.

'Respect each other'

In an immediate response, Keadilan Youth vice-president Low Chee Cheung said the figures stated on the website was the party's official count.

Low said the party welcomed DAP's offer to help analyse the voting trends but stressed that the opposition should not only cooperate for elections purposes.

"We should be united at all times, set aside our differences and respect each other's stand in the Barisan Alternatif," he added.

DAP pulled out from BA last September because of its inability to resolve the Islamic state controversy with then coalition partner PAS.

The party also opted to disassociate itself from the opposition during the campaign period for the Indera Kayangan by-election.

Meanwhile, Perlis Mentri Besar Shahidan Kassim claimed that initial analysis showed the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition gained bigger support from the Chinese community in two major Chinese-dominated areas.

However, he added that it was difficult for anyone to make an accurate calculation on the racial trend of the voters as all votes are kept secret.

"How can they know for sure their votes came from Chinese voters. It could be from the Malays as the ratio of races is almost the same in Pekan Baru Kangar and Pekan Lama Kangar," he was quoted as saying by New Straits Times online today.