The Batu Talam by-election has shown the DAP is nothing more a stalking horse for Umno and BN while superficially it wants to cooperate with the PKR. When PKR and PAS announced a boycott, the DAP Pahang state treasurer's son was fielded as an independent candidate against Umno, while the DAP Pahang state secretary formed an advisory group to help campaign but

withdrew later.

DAP is a political party known for its tough party discipline. Why would the Pahang state secretary and treasurer were keen to file an independent candidate if not without blessing from the top party leadership? Why no disciplinary action was taken against them? Why would the state secretary decide to dissolve the advisory group after pressure from the party leader? Was the top level leadership of DAP consulted initially or the top brass actually given the order to do so?

The move by the so-called independent candidate had sabotaged PKR's and PAS' effort to bring the issue of unfair electoral law to public attention. Umno and BN have even used the independent candidate's proclamation that his participation in the by-election had brought RM500 million allocation for the constituency by government. It justifies the ground not to boycott any elections no matter how unfair they could be for the opposition.

Isn't it that the DAP has also always complained about - unfair electoral law - and asked for electoral changes? It did not condemn the act of the independent candidate with strong links to DAP, but the party secretary-general openly said that the DAP would never boycott any general elections. It was a slap on the face of the opposition front.

It must be reminded that the DAP came to Malaysian political limelight when it won a few seats in the 1969 general elections in the wake of boycott by the Socialist Front. In other words, it is a party born to be a stalking horse for Umno and BN.

The DAP survived on nothing else but as a machine for elections. It only lives on short time 'sedekah' from Umno. Its party supreme leader, Lim Kit Siang, is very happy with Umno's racial rhetoric as he knows well that the DAP would thrive on Chinese votes if the Umno opts for racial attacks on the non-Malays. The DAP is practically a parasite of an unfair system. It lives by feeding on the ailing system.

The DAP and Umno would be two big winners in the next general elections. DAP will gain a few more predominantly Chinese constituencies at the expense of MCA and Gerakan, and Umno will still keep a tight grip on Malay voters at the expense of PKR and PAS.

There was theory that there must be an understanding between Umno and DAP - DAP keeps check on PKR and PAS by harping on less relevant issue such as Islamic state while making sure they would not make any inroads into Malay rural constituencies. On the other hand, Umno purportedly made racial slurs to ensure the DAP will win a few more seats in predominantly urban Chinese constituencies. It is a theory that should be explored further.

Unsurprisingly Kit Siang or his son, Lim Guan Eng, will return to Parliament as the opposition leader - the only post in the bureaucracy that they are able to hope for. Malaysia will go back to the politics in the 70s and 80s: Lim Kit Siang, son and co will play as the champion for non-Malays and Umno for Malays. That is the vicious cycle of Malaysian politics, and not only Umno but DAP is now part of it.