The Barisan Alternatif will now have to look beyond the 2004 general elections after the shock withdrawal of DAP from the opposition coalition over the Islamic state issue, said a Chinese activist today.

Ser Chong Ing told malaysiakini that the pullout is a such a blow to the opposition coalition that it can forget about winning the next elections due in 2004 or earlier.

Ser, the chairperson of the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall's Civil Rights Committee, expected that BA will have difficulties in garnering Chinese votes.

"As long as it cannot resolve the controversy of the Islamic state issue, BA is not ready to take over the government," said the activist who is often invited to speak in forums organised by Chinese organisations.

Additional pressure

He hoped that DAP's drastic decision to quit the coalition would put additional pressure on PAS to ditch its Islamic state policy.

Ser also disputed the PAS leadership's view that the objection to establishing an Islamic state is due to inadequate understanding, or misunderstanding, of the concept.

"However, this is not the case. PAS should realise that an Islamic state is not suited for a multi-racial and multi-religious society like Malaysia," said Ser.

"It should know that an Islamic state should not be its ultimate objective. Being a leading party in the opposition coalition, if it is not willing to change this stand, it will become a burden for BA."

Ser added that PAS should have changed its attitude especially after the Sept 11 attacks on the United States, which are blamed on alleged terrorist Osama bin Laden who has close links with radical Islamist groups.

Militant group

A number of PAS members, including the son of party spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, have recently been detained under the Internal Security Act for their alleged links to a militant group, Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM).

KMM was alleged to have been involved in a bank robbery, the bombing of a church and a temple and the assassination of former Lunas state assembly representative, Dr Joe Fernandez.

Nevertheless, Ser said DAP can perform better in the long run if the party returned to the opposition coalition's fold.

"DAP cannot deny that its candidates gained the support from the Malay community after it joined BA," he said.

Meanwhile, political commentator Lee Kian Kiong said that while DAP has sustained a lot of pressure from the ruling Barisan Nasional over its pact with PAS, the party had to eventually call it quits after the horrific terrorist attacks against the US.

However, Lee pointed out that the withdrawal does not mean that DAP is working against BA; instead, both are resorting to different strategies to topple BN from power.

"Withdrawal does not mean betrayal," he said.

When asked whether the pro-reformasi Chinese will now turn to another coalition member, Keadilan, Lee said that BA should accept the reality that its Chinese supporters are far fewer than those backing DAP, at least in the coming general elections.

"While the younger generation are more open to Keadilan, the generation who are in their 40s and 50s are not. They are still loyal to DAP," he said.

Lee also stressed that PAS had failed to make real efforts in understanding the needs of the ethnic Chinese.

PAS should have more dialogues with the ethnic Chinese, he lamented.

Not feasible proposition

On Saturday, DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock had earlier said that DAP was left with no choice but to withdraw from the BA when PAS failed to accept DAP's proposed formula, especially with regard to the point that the establishment of an Islamic state was not a "feasible, practical and acceptable proposition".

The Islamic state controversy has long troubled the relationship between DAP and PAS, but more so in recent months when PAS reiterated that it would set up an Islamic state should it come to power.

DAP had objected strongly to that, while the other two BA members, Keadilan and PRM, left it to the disputing parties to resolve their squabbles.

DAP on Saturday morning presented a five-point formula to PAS to resolve the issue but three points were rejected by the Islamic party.

This resulted in DAP holding an emergency central committee meeting the same day, in which out of the 18 members present, 13 voted to pull out of BA, two voted against it while three abstained.