I find it incredulous that after the effigy burning and public row over the azan complaint, our dear BN has made a big show of the lawyer apologising as the 'happy ending' to the sordid saga.

Is this what the PM means by 1Malaysia? Why has no minister spoken out against the violence of the protests over an innocent complaint that was done in a respectful manner?

Instead they have paraded the poor MCA fellow as the scapegoat and the FT Minister, who should really shoulder the blame and should be the one to apologise for managing his portfolio so poorly, becomes the hero.

What a joke. He should leave the running of KL to the people whom we elected, rather than force himself on the people who did not vote for him.

MCA also shows its true colours when they claim to 'defend Chinese interests'. This is indeed a poorly staged sandiwara.

The message is clear, it is wrong for non-Muslims to complain and Muslims have every right to get angry and protest and act violently, because it's "not their fault", it is always the non-Muslims' fault. The Perkasa mantra, now clearly adopted by 1BN and 1Malaysia.

Sadly, in truth the whole row boils down not to Islam or ethnic interests, but a simple matter of community living and mutual respect.

There is nothing wrong with the act of the complaining itself. The ministers and the religious authorities and the politicians who play games with them should already know that there has always been an issue with noise levels regarding public broadcasts, but choose to skirt the issue unless it becomes politically expedient (read Teresa Kok's ISA detention).

As if Chua Soi Lek would not know that decibel issues especially at dawn, has been a common grouse in some areas where it is at problematic levels, but residents simply grin and bear it knowing the outcome of any attempt to broach the subject, and they are proven right time and again.

For example the volume and duration of azan has never bothered me in the past, because you can hear it just pleasantly in the background for the few minutes it takes, but it does now because it is many times louder than ten years ago, and lasts sometimes over an hour, and even that we learn to get used to except at dawn, when it never fails to awaken members of my family.

It often takes a whole hour to get back to sleep and then we oversleep. But if someone comes asking, we'd probably give the politically correct answer and say it is okay. Who wants to be the villain?

And while waking up at 6am may be great for some, what about those who work late shifts who need their rest in the mornings? Do they not have to be considered, as they are a minority? Does that project a very humane and loving religious practice?

The issue of azan decibels has been discussed around the world, even in Morrocco, and Indonesia, and amongst Muslims themselves, and without flag and effigy burning. We are unique in this sense that Malaysia is the leader in such behaviour.

It is also equally condescending to suggest that it is the "non-Muslim's ignorance of Islam" that is the cause, as forwarded by aplogists and opportunists like PAS and the BN lapdogs.

Come on lah, most non-Muslims know what the azan is for, that is why it has never been an issue and widely accepted as part of our lives as Malaysians.

Truly if a Malaysian did not know the importance of azan to Muslims, they must have been living on another planet.

It is the fact that many do not know why the azan has become longer and louder over the past decades is the issue, and it is not a question of 'educating' non-Muslims about it.

It is a question of evolving local mosque practices and whether it is justified or reasonable, and whether the surrounding community both Muslim and non-Muslim alike have a say in the matter.

It will appear that in the case of religion, neither has any say in it, only the religious authorities and the government who is ever quick to wash their hands of it and pass the buck.

In this respect I am grateful that some Muslim experts have spoken up about the issue in a dignified manner.

In my view, with the azan softer and shorter in the old days, does it mean the people then were less holy than they are now? Isn't that absurd?

I would contend the reverse, those in the past are even more spiritual than the ones burning flags and effigies now claiming their faith is being undermined.

And the behaviour of PAS, who has tried so hard to win the non-Muslims over including their PAS Supporters Club, can say such a silly thing as to make the protestors the hero and the complainant the villain and to call for the volume of the Kerinchi mosque to be cranked back up.

Have they even bothered to go down to Kerinchi to talk to the residents themselves (and not the 'rent a mob' that did the protesting) to see how they felt about the concerns raised by the complaint?

I would give the Kerinchi residents the benefit of the doubt that if it was truly discussed in a cordial manner, many may agree to accommodate and find a middle ground. And the mosque should be held guilty for not attempting this and condoning the aggression instead. Yet not even the mosque has apologised.

On the other hand, it is magnanimous for the Penang Komtar Adun to apologise. Our 50-year old BN can learn something from the two-year adun.

At least he shows the guts to admit he had acted badly. And I don't recall anyone from the other side apologising for claiming they had the video evidence. So far, no video, and no apology.

Again it reaffirms what Najib's 1Malaysia really means.

And as the next GE approaches it seems we are going to be seeing more of such sandiwara.