DAP's latest decision to withhold making a written request to the opposition coalition Barisan Alternatif to help in the campaigning in Ketari by-election is sort of halfway principled one. For BA's offer of assistance is, in spite of the best of intentions, a poison fruit to the DAP.

Without BA's help, DAP faces an uphill battle to secure Malay votes and its chances of winning are remote. With BA's assistance, victory is not at all assured while irreparable damage to DAP's credibility  together in collaboration, whether formal or informal, they hurt each others' agenda and credibility. This is the dilemma of the opposition — and the Malaysian people, crying aloud for a viable opposition that could pressure the government to good governance, and in default, have a chance of forming the alternative government.

Opposition parties cannot take on the 13-component-strong ruling coalition unless they do some strategic thinking to reinvent themselves and unite.

Post-Sept 11 may see further escalation of conflict between western powers and fringe religious extremist groups. Although PAS' purist conservative agenda should not in all fairness be equated with that kind of extremism, yet its acceptance by the mainstream is however made increasingly difficult by extremists' perpetrating acts of terror elsewhere under the guise of religion. The fact that this is a pluralistic society also makes it difficult.

This means that if PAS cannot re-invent itself by dropping its demands for an orthodox and purist Islamic state that is not shared by others, it is best it pursues its political objective, to which it is entitled, on a standalone basis. At least that is what Keadilan and PRM should consider if they were not to be straddled by PAS' baggage.

Keadilan's and PRM's fight for justice, good governance, democracy and human rights has the right appeal but they cannot evince sincerity in pursuing these ideals if they do not sever ties with the Islamic state in the form presently propagated by PAS.

Furthermore in Keadilan's case, it has to show more praxis and commitment to national issues, and move beyond the agenda of merely fighting for the release and redemption of its de facto leader and former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim. This seems to be another obstacle in the way of its re-invention.

If Keadilan and PRM could reinvent themselves along the above lines, it opens the way for DAP to collaborate with them without alienation of its traditional constituency.

For DAP's fight for justice, good governance, democracy and human rights is commended not by its slogans but by its sacrifices etched on the record of the party's struggles through the years.

There is however one problem with the DAP that equally requires it to reinvent itself to make it more suitable a partner to a re-invented Keadilan and PRM.

All this time, the DAP has forgotten the vast changes taking place in the global as well as Malaysian and cultural landscape.

Its struggle under banner of "democratic socialism", for example, is obsolete. To average Malaysians, the word "Democratic Socialist" is vague and meaningless. At best, the word "socialist" is vaguely associated with safeguarding the welfare and rights of workers and labour, which in turn, is associated with communism's overriding objective, and in the Malaysian context, communism associated with chauvinistic Chinese.

Globally, communism has been defeated decisively by capitalism or at least market orientated policies as shown by the dissolution of the SovietUnion and the opening of and market reforms in the Republic of China. The word "Democratic capitalism" is probably a more favoured mantra now and here than "Democratic Socialism".

Another example is its rocket symbol. The blue circle was derived from Singapore PAP's logo, which has a lighting bolt instead of the rocket. Although in its heyday, the DAP's ideology might have descended from PAP's, Singapore is now a different country and culture associated with Chinese dominance, and it is about time the DAP cuts this last symbolic umbilical cord in the light of existing realities.

The reality is that the support of Malay Malaysians is crucial before any party or coalition has a chance. The four rocket boosters at the base of the rocket are supposed to represent the support and drive given to the party's objectives by the three major ethnic groups and others. Over the years this has proven more an aspiration than reality: The fact, is in this time, the BN has successfully cast the DAP as a Chinese-based chauvinistic party to which the majority of Malay Malaysians will not cast their votes in favour.

The other blind spot of the DAP not consonant with changed realities is its stubborn insistence on secular Malaysia, a secular constitution and a secular government. It should be less adamant and more flexible.

(A secular government is not an atheistic one. A secular government is one which does not favour one religion over another and which does not favour belief in God over non-belief in God or vice versa. A secular government is neutral to and maintains level playing field for all so that no one religious system could be hegemonic over the rest. It is fairest in a pluralistic society with substantial minorities like Malaysia. It is safest to prevent any government from falling into the grasp of religious fanaticism in the future. Our constitution bequeathed by the colonial masters was structured on these parameters with Islam being the official and ceremonial religion. I would argue that the modernity and progress of the West are by no small measure attributable to secular structure of their governments. But that is the West and we are here.)

Over the last 20 years, Malay Muslims have become more religion-conscious not only due to influence from the Middle East but the government's vigorous Islamisation programme.

The result is that whatever the strengths of a secular constitution and government as explained above, the concept will, as recognised by the BN, not be well received by the majority except, possibly, a few western educated elites. The word secular automatically generates negative vibes not only among the majority Malay Muslims but also the others as well, whether Christians, Hindus or Buddhists. There is little understanding of it but much apprehension against it, and any political party that flags this secular banner does so as its own peril in realpolitik terms. For which reason, DAP should drop this demand.

By all means the DAP could continue to champion a modern, dynamic and progressive Malaysian society symbolised by its rocket (even though I think the rocket and its redness have unsavory associations of the past requiring substitution by other symbols).

The point made here is that while a "modern dynamic and progressive" Malaysia is aspired and fought for, there is more than one route, at least for the DAP and its allies, to reach the same destination. It can be but necessarily through a secular government. It can also be through a government heavily committed to the influence and promotion of Islam.

(Here I don't mean the extreme form of Islam involving the re-instating of Hudud laws or legislating on private morality and all that — for that would be fundamentally unfair to non-Muslim minorities and even certain more liberal sections of Muslim Malays. I mean the Islam that is progressive and consistent with the country's modernisation drive rather than in conflict with it.)

What the DAP needs to do is to commit itself to democracy, progress and modernisation of the country without imposing conditions precedent whether that will be achieved singularly by a secular government or an Islamic-bias government or a hybrid of both.

This is the least DAP can do in recognition of the changed reality and the fact that the aspirations and sensitivities of majority Malay Malaysians cannot be thwarted.

It will then pave the way for Malay-based Keadilan and PRM to collaborate with the DAP without alienation of Malay support. They will exclude PAS if its brand of Islamic state were not viewed consistent with the prerequisites for a "modern dynamic and progressive" motto shared by the rest.

So unless there is going to be a paradigm shift by way of reinvention along the above lines on Keadilan's and DAP's part, the Opposition will have little chance of winning in even the general elections following the next one — the next one being, of course, a foregone conclusion!

Then that is again dependent on the BN's actions. If the BN, too, competes to re-invent itself to rid off its present excesses, it too, can marshall its record of achievements to remain in power for a couple more general elections, but that's another story!

As far as Malaysian electorate goes, we stand to benefit when political organisations on both sides of the divide commit themselves to re-invention to rid themselves of their respective weaknesses and their tried and worn obsolete ways that find no support among our younger generation coming of age to vote.