Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's prosecution yesterday will not just throw DAP into a political crisis, but may also impact the opposition's chances in the next general election, said political analysts.

This is because the DAP secretary-general runs the risk of being disqualified as chief minister and state representative, and will be unable to to lead his party in the next election if he is convicted, they told Malaysiakini.

This would add salt to the already wounded opposition following the split of Pakatan Rakyat last year and the conviction of former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, they said.

"If Lim cannot participate in the polls for five years, it will directly impact him and the party as he cannot hold a government or party post," said political commentator Tang Ah Chai.

DAP would have to undergo a leadership transition and power restructuring earlier than planned - a heavy blow for the party, since Lim is a charismatic leader who is able to rally the masses and party members, he said.

"You will only feel the loss in the party and opposition once a leader is no longer here. Just like Anwar, we only realised that he can keep the opposition united after he was sent to jail," he said.

But he said it was not a complete loss for the opposition - the trial itself would allow the people to evaluate the Attorney-General's Chambers and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) conduct.

"The people still have doubts over why there is no action on the RM2.6 billion case, but (the authorities) act swiftly over this case," he said, referring to the money channelled to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's private accounts.

This may garner some sympathy votes for the opposition in the next polls, he said.

He said Pakatan Harapan may still retain Penang in the next polls, although he was quite pessimistic of its chances nationally, given the likelihood of multi-cornered fights.

Fodder for BN's attacks

Meanwhile, political analyst Phoon Wing Keong said Lim's court case provided more ammunition for BN to attack the opposition ahead of the next election.

"My reading of the next polls is, it will be very challenging for the opposition to retain its current parliamentary seats," he said.

"BN will use the court case to discredit and vilify DAP and Lim. You see, DAP continues to harp on the 1MDB scandal, now BN can counter this with (Lim's bungalow case)," he said.

He said BN may even be able to use Lim's corruption charges to drown out the 1MDB scandal.

Phoon said the trial was part of BN's strategy to tarnish the opposition, adding that it was not an isolated case.

Lim's prosecution was preceded by Anwar's conviction and Pakatan Rakyat's breakup - all of which have been massive setbacks for the opposition, he said.

This showed that Najib wanted to quickly eliminate his enemies one by one, amid internal Umno discontent and economic uncertainty, he said.

"Following the victories in the Sarawak state election and twin by-elections, he has decided to take on the opposition now that the situation favours him."

Even without Lim's case, Selangor may fall to BN due to the unresolved issues between Harapan and PAS, he added.

Lim should go on leave

Another academician raised concerns that without Lim holding DAP together, the party may end up like PKR, which faced internal turmoil following Anwar's incarceration.

"If DAP does not manage the situation well, we can imagine DAP will have to go through what PKR went through after Anwar was jailed.

"PKR is weakened without Anwar," said Mohamed Mustafa Ishak, the Malaysian Professors Council political, security and international affairs cluster head.

"DAP and the Penang state government need to ensure the state administration and party operations remain smooth," he said.

He suggested that Lim take a break to focus on his trial rather than juggle the court case with his duties at the state government.

"This will improve his credibility in running the state government because he can tackle the issue first," he said.

The opposition's problem is that they cannot coordinate among themselves, he said, adding that it was unfair to call the trial "political persecution".

Meanwhile, Mustafa's deputy, Jayum Jawan also said Lim should go on leave throughout the trial, saying that the case had put his integrity in question.

"It is stupidity on his part (that led to the prosecution)," said Jayum.

Lim was slapped with two charges of corruption following the purchase of a bungalow below market prize, and allegedly approving the re-zoning of a plot of land to Magnificient Emblem Sdn Bhd.