While I commend Susan Loone's opinion piece, [#1] Teething problems plague BA's political marriage[/#] (April 2), I must also point out that it is fairer to listen to the grievances of DAP dissidents, especially the older ones outside Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur.

I am for a strong BA as well as a healthy DAP. The problem, it seems to me, is that DAP and particularly Lim Kit Siang's utter failure to manage and organise the party is like a contagious disease affecting other innocent partners.

I am not saying that Kit Siang is not good either. He is excellent as an individual debater and an opposition parliamentarian, but he certainly lacks normal skills in managing human relationships in a team, especially people of the same age group and of equal intellectual capacity in the party.

If we read the history of DAP in perspective, it would not be difficult to see that the personality and character of Kit Siang is actually the problem. Kit Siang is just like Dr Mahathir Mohamad: an authoritarian and paternalistic micro-manager who expects others to do what he says, but never what he does. The problem with distant admirers of Kit Siang is that they just look at the image but never suffered as real DAP members or leaders, like Teoh Teik Huat.