The recent two issues would cost the DAP dearly, ie the outcome of DAP Selangor state elections and its rift with Keadilan.

Bandar Klang state assemblyperson Teng Chang Khim, Selangor DAP's shortest serving state chairman M Manoharan and state committee member K Kannan were sidelined totally from the new line-up.

It did not, however, indicate a complete victory for the new and ever ambitious state chairperson Ronnie Liu. The three were able to gather more than half of the delegates' votes but only Manoharan was listed number 21. It is better for the losing faction to bow out of the scene completely. But it may not convince the public that the DAP leaders tend to handle party dissents more ruthlessly than its BN opponents such as MCA and Gerakan.

The DAP's supremo, national chairperson Lim Kit Siang tries very hard to disassociate himself from the Selangor DAP elections outcome. It is commendable that Teng and Kannan decided to resign from a practically hostile new state committee. According to them their resignation was to give the new leadership a "free hand".

I think it also defeated the possibility of any reconciliation between the rank and file as Ronnie Liu had bravely rejected the so-called "unity list' proposed by the other faction comprising more of his own men to be selected into the state committee.

In other words, the DAP practices what the BN component parties have done - get rid of all your dissent when you can. This is what's called democracy in the DAP - its leaders are awfully proud of it and quote it as "party discipline".

Due to infighting within the Selangor State DAP and the failure of its national leadership to put up a new political agenda, the Selangor DAP was left with only one state seat in the 1999 general elections.

It is quite likely that Selangor DAP will be left with zero seat at the upcoming elections considering how the national leadership is ready to put Teng out of the DAP political scenario at all costs, despite that the latter holds the only state seat for DAP in Selangor.

Teng, as state secretary in the previous committee, was held responsible for the Selangor's poor performance in the last elections. It is interesting to note the peculiarity of DAP's democratic conventions, which is upside down.

As convention in western democracies, top party leaders resign over its party's defeat, not the rank-and-file or second-line leaders. The DAP seems to have it upside down where top leaders like Lim Kit Siang stays in powers forever but its state leaders have been ousted for losses!

A question would be whether Ronnie Liu would have to resign if the Selangor DAP loses its only state seat and leaves it with zero seat at the next election? It is unlikely to be so, as Ronnie Liu is known to be Lim's protege and Lim Guan Eng's right-hand man - both see Teng Chang Khim as an arch-rival to take over the DAP 'dynasty'.

Unfortunately, DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock plays an invisible role as Lim's messenger. He has no control over Selangor DAP's quakes and similarly with the seat negotiations with Keadilan, had to announce suspension of all talks.

It is likely that Lim would come into the scene at the eleventh hour and strike a balance between the DAP and Keadilan to show that he is still in command and a more moderate force in dealing with its opposition ally.

More importantly, the opposition coalition cannot do without him. Poor Kerk may see himself made scapegoat. As a close observer on DAP's recent happenings, I know that the wolf is clearly within the DAP. The only problem is that the wolf does not admit that he is the wolf.