The departure of Dr Chandra Muzaffar has dealt with yet another blow to Keadilan. The party's failure at the polls - the 1999 Sabah parliamentary elections, the Likas by-election and the Sarawak state election - have eroded the party's credibility in the eyes of the electorates. Sadly though, this state of affairs is mainly the result of its own doing, which its champions aren't aware of.

Compared with other parties, Keadilan is a baby that has yet to learn much of the rudiments of party politics. Politics is the game of the possible, but not the gung-ho kind that Keadilan has embraced.

The party ventured into the unfamiliar terrains of Sabah politics despite warnings from a major Sabah-based party, just because a handful of supporters wanted the party to field candidates in the 1999 parliamentary elections. Chandra was keen to participate in the elections. When asked why Keadilan need to expand to Sabah when there is already an established opposition party in the state, Chandra firmly replied that Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), once a ruling party of the state, could not penetrate the Muslim areas.

PBS was generous and magnanimous enough to allow Keadilan a number of seats to contest, when it could have spurned the party for its arrogance - Keadilan could have just given PBS moral support; there was no cause for it to add to the competition among the opposition.

The strength of any party could not simply be gauged by calls for it to field candidates. The only effective measure is the election results. It has been amply proven, in the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak, that Keadilan has no substantial support.

If anything the results of the Likas by-election and the recent Sarawak election have only demoralised its supporters.This does not augur well for a young party such as Keadilan.