After suffering a devastating defeat at the hands of the Barisan Nasional coalition in the Sarawak state election yesterday, a crestfallen DAP lamented the lack of cooperation between opposition parties and the 'fear tactics' employed by its adversaries.

"The multi-cornered fight in Pending between DAP and Keadilan which saw a 'war of words' had a spillover effect on neighbouring Padungan where our candidate was also contesting," said DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock today.

"Tactically speaking, this should have been avoided," he added.

The two state seats fall within the same parliamentary constituency which has an overwhelming Chinese electorate.

Both opposition parties were engaged in intensive talks as to who should contest in Padungan, with Keadilan giving way hours before nomination day, while neighbouring Pending saw the two opposition parties pitting against each other as well as their BN opponent.

DAP and newcomer Keadilan also crashed head in Tanjung Datu and Repok.

Out of the 13 seats contested, DAP managed to win only one seat.

Its candidate, Chiew Chiu Sing, wrested back Kidurong, a seat which the party lost to BN in a by-election after the 1996 state polls.

However, the party lost two of its incumbent seats including Bukit Assek, which was contested by DAP state chief Richard Wong.

Meanwhile, Keadilan and the other opposition parties returned home empty handed. In an almost clean sweep, BN captured 60 seats while an Independent candidate won in Meluan.

Seditious campaign

According to Kerk, the media onslaught that followed the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon made matters worse.

Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) - a BN component party and DAP's rival for the Chinese votes - was putting up posters that warned voters of terrorist attacks, jihad (holy war) and instilled fear among the voters, claimed Kerk.

"It is difficult to counter these tactics," he added.

Meanwhile, in a statement today, DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang echoed Kerk's assertion of SUPP's fear campaign.

"SUPP was allowed to conduct the impunity the most pernicious seditious election campaign, putting up billboards and banners at prominent places calling on voters to denounce terrorism, jihad and riots, maliciously and falsely insinuating that DAP stood for such horrors," he said.

"They have won in a dishonest and dishonourable way," added the veteran politician.

However, Lim reasoned that DAP's withdrawal from the Barisan Alternatif last week, allowed the party to cushion some of SUPP's aggressive campaigning.

DAP withdrew from the three-year-old coalition citing irreconcilable differences with former ally PAS over the Islamic state issue.

"DAP's decision to pull out of the BA because of the failure to resolve the controversy over the Islamic state issue was a pure coincidence and had nothing to do with the Sarawak state elections," claimed Lim.

"However, it must be conceded that the decision enabled DAP to withstand SUPP's campaign of falsehoods," he added.