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Fresh from the battleground of the recent Indera Kayangan by-election, Keadilan's younger generation of leaders are out to prove that even without DAP's help, they will be able to secure more Chinese Malaysian support.

While Keadilan's supreme council leaders are cautious not to create a backlash in the already stormy seas of the opposition scene, the youth wing appears ready to take on DAP.

Since the Indera Kayangan by-election on Jan 19, DAP's national chairperson Lim Kit Siang has urged Keadilan to clarify several "conflicting and contradictory" remarks by its leaders that there was an increase in Chinese votes.

Lim said the claim was "ridiculous and ranges from as low as 240 votes to 800 votes".

However, after several days, Lim issued a statement saying that he was "threatened" not to raise the issue anymore. He also said that since Keadilan leaders could not clarify their claims, he will let the matter rest.

Too silent

If Lim thought the matter would fizzle out, he was obviously wrong.

Keadilan's deputy Youth chief Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said today that the party has been "too silent" on the issue. He said Lim should reveal who issued the 'threat' as the remark has cast a bad light on Keadilan.

"We want him to tell us who threatened him and our Youth wing will personally see that action is taken against the person who issued the threat," Saifuddin told malaysiakini .

Keadilan Youth vice-chief Low Chee Chong said Chinese leaders within the party will respond to DAP's challenge and clear any doubts pertaining to the by-election's results.

"All press statements issued by us on the matter will be the party's official stand," Low said when contacted.

'Waste time'

But Keadilan's supreme council member Ng Lum Yong denied the party leadership had given its Youth wing the mandate to publicly counter DAP's challenge.

"An open debate will only [adversely] affect the image of Barisan Alternatif and Keadilan. We do not want to waste time doing this," Ng told malaysiakini .

After quitting the BA opposition front in September last year over its inability to resolve the Islamic state issue with its BA partner PAS, the DAP is now at loggerheads with Keadilan.

A war of words erupted when DAP prohibited its members from campaigning for Keadilan in the Jan 19 state assembly by-election.

DAP said the ban was to avoid the party from being seen as supporting the Islamic state concept espoused by PAS.