The seasoned politician faces the biggest battle of his career and his destiny will be unraveled tomorrow. Will Lim Kit Siang tread along the corridors of power once again or fade into oblivion?

Judging by the way his rivals have responded, it appears that they are determined to close the file on the 63-year-old opposition leader.

The DAP leader himself had remarked that his bid for the Ipoh Timor parliamentary seat was no longer an encounter with incumbent Thong Fah Chong alone. He is taking on the whole Barisan Nasional (BN).

In the past eight days, many heavyweights from the ruling front, including Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, have graced the parliamentary constituency with one aim in mind - to obliterate any possible chances of a comeback by Lim.

Joining the list last night was one of Lim's arch-nemesis, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who delivered a ballistic ceramah.

In a speech tailored for the civil service audience, the 77-year-old veteran described the DAP leader as an 'extremist' who helmed a party, which despite its rhetoric, was only concerned about the Chinese community.

"Extremists like Kit Siang don't want to admit that the Malays have sacrificed much so that non-Malays are given rights in this country.

"Look at our neighbours: they must change their names in order to be accepted as citizens. But here in Malaysia, we even have Chinese and Tamil schools. People like Kit Siang do not accept these realities

"Let's not have the people victimised just because Kit Siang wants to become MP, which is the reason why he has been running all over the place," thundered Mahathir, who retired last November.

The 'glory days'

At another avenue, Lim told his audience about the glory days of DAP in Ipoh and how the coming of the BN 'big guns' has made him sceptical about his chances.

"Lau Dak Kee (former DAP Perak chairperson)," he told the mammoth crowd of about 6,000, "held the biggest majority in history. What was it? It was 18,000 votes."

"Do you think we can do that? It is not easy you know," he said, eliciting cries of support from some and silence from others.

Taking heed of the response, he added: "I dare not think of that. At present, I don't even know if I can win or not. But if you want to shake BN to its utter foundation, then let's see Ipoh rise up to demand full equality!"

This evoked a thunderous applause from the crowd, which spilled over into the streets outside the Chin Woo Hall. Arguably the biggest turnout for an opposition ceramah thus far in any part of the country.

Corruption charges

Lim then delved into the cesspool of corruption, rasing the stink on several ruling politicians.

"Can they prove that they are not corrupt? (Entrepreneur and Development Minister) Nazri Aziz! Can or cannot? (International Trade and Industry Minister) Rafidah (Aziz)! Can or cannot? (former finance minister) Daim (Zainuddin)! Can or cannot?"

"Samy Vellu! Can or cannot?" he asked, to which the tickled audience responded in the negative. "Why are you so sure?" Lim retorted, drawing more laughter.

The response encouraged the DAP veteran, who said it indicated a possibility of him pulling through."I hope I can get through, but it will be a 50-50 chance."

Lim also argued for a strong opposition presence in the Parliament, saying that the premier required a strong opposition for his anti corruption drive against a system that is "rotten to the core".

However, the crowd began to dwindle when the DAP leader launched his often-repeated assaults against the Islamic state.

Other speakers included former DAP state leader Lim Cho Hock, Ipoh Barat candidate M Kulasegaran, and the DAP chief's son Lim Guan Eng.

In the 1999 election, Lim contested the Bukit Bendera seat in Penang and lost by a mere 104 votes.

This time around he shifted his focus to Perak amid much criticism from his rivals. Some even accused him of running away out of fear for the premier, who hails from Penang.

And his chances in Ipoh Timor? Observers note that Lim might just pull it off.

In terms of public opinion, the opposition leader has already won as his rival's unfinished business with the light industrial estate and a few local council by-law violations continue to haunt him.