Only three months after its momentous exit from Barisan Alternatif, DAP is planning to forge a new alliance with former partners Keadilan and PRM.

The new front, however, does not include PAS, who was the main cause of the party quitting the three-year-old coalition.

DAP left BA on Sept 22 when it was unable to resolve the Islamic state issue, the concept of which was mooted by then ally PAS.

Party chief Lim Kit Siang in a statement today said DAP was prepared to link with the two Malay-based parties and 'other' forces to defend the constitution and promote political and religious moderation in the country.

However, the proposal from DAP via the media have been cold-shouldered by Keadilan and PRM who both said, "We do not simply abandon partners."

The two parties also pledged their commitment to the present opposition front.

Keadilan's newly appointed secretary-general Sahri Bahri said DAP's proposal was "news" to them.

Sahri said he was aware of Umno's 'religious fanaticism' propaganda directed against the opposition. He was also alert to the ultra-Malay party's competition with PAS, recognising the prime minister's recent Islamic state declaration as a strategy to woo supporters.

"One way or another, events have made it necessary for us to review our strategies," said Sahri.

"But we think that the best platform to continue our political struggles is in the BA," he added.

PRM president Dr Syed Husin Ali said any reaction to a proposal for a new alliance by DAP must be first discussed in the BA.

"This is a very important issue and must be brought also to our own central committees and delegates," said the veteran politician.

"We did that when we wanted to join the BA," he added.

False choices

Lim raised the new partnership issue during a talk at the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom last night.

He cited the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Center and Washington's Pentagon as "a boon" to "authoritarian regimes" such as Malaysia to justify "undemocratic and repressive" laws.

He said some postulate that the Sept 11 political aftermath right up to the run-up to the next general elections would be a contest of two misplaced 'triumphalism' - Umno and Pas - vis-a-vis the Islamic state issue.

Lim said Mahathir will be able to fully exploit these factors to the advantage of Barisan Nasional and detriment of the opposition.

"Both are false choices but unless Malaysian voters can see through the falsity of these two questions, Mahathir and BN are poised for a resounding victory in the next general elections," he said.

On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told a Chinese daily that Barisan Nasional would not call for snap polls as the coalition is "back at its peak now".

Abdullah said the government had overcome and recovered from 'some problems' in the past few years since the 1999 elections.

Despite regaining the two-third majority in Parliament, BN's share of the popular vote fell drastically from 65 percent in 1995 to 56 percent in 1999.