Barisan Alternatif (BA) should seize the initiative to gain support from the political mainstream and steer away from the fringes which coalition members PAS and DAP have long been identified with, said an economics professor today.

Universiti Malaya's Prof KS Jomo said that while the two opposition parties should not neglect their traditional supporters, progress will ultimately be determined by gaining new support from the political mainstream.

"Indications are that BA leaders will rise to this challenge because if not, they are out of business and may just as well close shop," he told malaysiakini .

"I can understand why DAP has to respond to MCA and Barisan Nasional propaganda, but it must be careful not to get into a tangle, albeit unintentionally, by becoming victims of their own rhetoric, setting unrealistic conditions for its BA coalition partners," he added.

Pressure on DAP to withdraw from the opposition coalition has been mounting as members fear PAS' version of an Islamic state could adversely affect the rights of non-Muslims and other minorities.

However, PAS appears to be determined on setting up an Islamic state despite being told by its coalition partners that the issue was not mentioned in BA's joint manifesto.

DAP will debate a resolution calling on the party to quit the opposition coalition at its annual national congress in Kuala Lumpur today.

DAP plays important role

Jomo, a keen observer of BA, said DAP plays an important role in the four-party opposition coalition by reminding middle-level PAS politicians of their commitments to the 1999 election manifesto.

"These are politicians who are buoyed by the party's 1999 electoral gains, who may forget the responsibilities of participating in the BA coalition, especially the commitment to the 1999 election manifesto and its implications," he said.

"With Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad insisting that Malaysia is already an Islamic state, it is virtually impossible for PAS to renounce the same objective even though it is not enshrined in the party's constitution," he added.

Jomo said Mahathir's claim has been conveniently ignored by MCA for obvious reasons.

He added that while PAS' intention to set up an Islamic state has long been clear in BA, it will not be able to implement its political programme without the support of the other partners, Keadilan, PRM and DAP.

At the height of the Islamic state controversy, Keadilan and PRM signed a joined statement stating even if PAS came to power, they will not agree to the setting up of an Islamic state as it entailed a constitutional amendment which needed a two-third majority.

"Keadilan and PRM leaders have elaborated on this to reassure DAP that MCA's claims were unfounded, but there is nothing much the BA leaders can do with the ever greater and tighter BN control over mass media disinformation," said Jomo.

DAP won more Malay votes

Jomo also said that it was not clear whether DAP had lost Chinese votes in the 1999 general elections as a result of its alliance with PAS in the opposition coalition.

According to him, DAP won more seats in 1999 than in the 1995 general elections due to greater Malay support. The Chinese-based party bagged 10 seats compared to nine in 1995. However, the party's national chairperson Lim Kit Siang and his deputy Karpal Singh lost by a narrow margin in Penang.

"According to polling station level results analysis in Bukit Bendera, (DAP chairman) Lim Kit Siang did not lose even one per cent of the Chinese vote that the DAP obtained in 1995, but the gain in Malay votes was not enough to beat the incumbent, who had a fair reputation as a constituency parliamentarian," said Jomo.