Barisan Alternatif (BA) celebrated its second anniversary yesterday on a grander scale, compared with the year before.

Last year, it was a different crowd that gathered to celebrate the first anniversary of BA - on a muddy ground under tents in Taman Medan, in one of the poorest suburbs of Kuala Lumpur.

Yesterday, many of those who attended the anniversary dinner at the five-star Nikko Hotel were professionals and businessmen, who were willing to fork out RM100 each to show support for the opposition. They were definitely not the faces that had defied police order the day before at the Black 14 gathering.

The 850-strong dinner crowd was made up of all races and members of all parties, along with the four leaders of Keadilan, DAP, PRM and PAS.

Highlights of the night were performances staged by the respective parties and if these were anything to go by, it more or less confirmed the image of the parties as perceived by many - PRM was too idealistic in its ideology, Keadilan could afford a well-trained band, DAP would milk all issues to be heard and PAS was the serene level-headed modern Muslim party.

The modern dance performance on behalf of PRM by two young men was indeed bewildering. The crowd, which patiently watched the fits of stomping and rolling on the stage, gave a thunderous applause to the only part which was understood by everybody - when the two youths painted a black eye on each other.

One PRM leader cheekily commented, "Well, maybe we are too avant garde for the masses."

PRM president Dr Syed Husin Ali said that the BA had withstood the test of time well, despite expectations that it would crumble after the 1999 general elections.

"In fact, it is the Barisan Nasional that is crumbling. BA has come together on all issues.

"The economy has not improved. Only the cronies have improved and that too, because they have been bailed out using funds of the people," said Syed Husin.

New cocktail

Keadilan stole the show with a simple but a first-class vocal and musical performance by an interesting trio calling themselves the 'Gombak Hillbillies'.

In obvious reference to jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, they soulfully crooned Bruce Springsteen-style, ' I see my light shining; from west down to the east. Any day now, any day now, I shall be released .'

Wan Azizah then took the stage and had the crowd in stitches when she told them that the government probably thought Keadilan deputy president Dr Chandra Muzaffar's cane was a rocket launcher.

"Before this, I only knew of cocktails which you toast with, but now I know there are other types," said Wan Azizah, poking fun at the government's allegation that the reformasi movement was armed with explosives and grenade launchers.

National healing

As expected, DAP made sure that its voice was heard that night via a small choir they brought in from the controversial SJK (C) Damansara to perform on their behalf.

DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang said DAP brought in the students as the struggle for "truth and justice to prevail has to start from young".

"Early this month, when launching the Third Outline Perspective Plan (OPP3) in Parliament, Mahathir introduced the National Vision Policy but gave a most divisive and unvisionary speech.

"If Mahathir is sincere in wanting a National Vision Policy to unite Malaysians in a higher vision of national unity and endeavour, the first thing he should do is to release Anwar Ibrahim and restore his civic and political rights to start the process of national healing," said Lim.

A group of youths calling themselves 'The Quranic Generation' then took the stage and read a poem entitled ' The Paradox '.

"We have more degrees but we have less sense; we have multiplied our possessions but we have to reduce our values; we have higher incomes but we have lower morals," chanted the youths.

Never proved

PAS President Fadzil Noor said that there was no shortcut to upholding the truth.

"The lies of the Umno leaders are not a new thing. They have lied during the Memali incident in 1985 when they said that there was a fort in the religious school and that it was a hiding place for communists. They have never proved what they said," said Fadzil.

Also present at the dinner were the families of the seven reformasi activists arrested last week under the Internal Security Act.

The fact that almost all guests present stayed till the end of the dinner, which was way past midnight, showed that those who had come were true supporters, both with their wallets and their hearts. Quite an achievement for an opposition coalition that has no logo and is only two years old.