THE race is on building up towards nomination and none is more potentially more rocket-fueled than the fate that faces the Democratic Action Party (DAP) even before the campaign begins in official earnest.

There’s a big likelihood that the rocket, the unmistakable party symbol will not feature on the ballot papers this time round as the Registrar of Societies has said its does not recognize the party’s Central Executive Committee. It added that it was assessing the DAP’s registration following a dispute by some members who complained they were prevented from attending and therefore participating in the CEC elections.

The ROS decision, delivered to the DAP on Thursday is as big a blow that can delivered to any party preparing for Nomination Day this Saturday (20 April). Nay, it could be a death blow, whether carried out with deliberate calculation in the eyes of the victim or a simple question of following the letter of the law in the conduct of party matters.

As protagonists in this case, the ROS is merely doing its job. The DAP which as the receiving end of the decision immediately cried foul as the timing – almost on the eve of nomination – feed fuel to its accusation of partisanship.

Is this going to clip the wings of the opposition in the elections? Yes and no.

If this was a pre-meditated campaign to achieve this goal – and we certainly, not for one second, even think that this is so – then it might simply have the opposite of the desired effect. It would simply invite the wrath of even the most disinterested non-voter floating out there. The ROS, rightly or wrongly, is seen as an administrative arm of the State and, being the animal that it is, can hardly seen as not doing its bidding. Public perception or misperceived notions build over time and great effort has to be made to orientate or re-orientate as the case may be.

The aggrieved party on the other hand, should not immediately cry political persecution which is all too easy a straw to clutch on at this time. The DAP should have seen this coming. It chose to ignore the warning bells rung so baldly soon after its CEC elections. Perhaps it was riding the crest of a confidence wave and believed in its infallibility.

Barisan Nasional appears loathed to handle this potential hot potato too and is treading on this issue gingerly. Already Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi has urged the ROS not to ban the DAP leadership.

His caution is understandable. Handled wrongly, it could backfire on the BN. Just imagine the wave – not the say wrath – of sympathy that the DAP and the opposition pact will garner should the rocket fail to lift off on Nomination Day.

Already, the opposition pact is licking their lips at the prospect of mobilizing sympathy votes in their direction. Contesting the elections using the flags and symbols of PAS or PKR as a flag of convenience might work in the opposition’s favour.

The rocket might fail to take off but this failure might just ignite an unintended wave.