It is indeed lamentable, insightful and laughable when I read Umno Youth's justification for lodging a police report against malaysiakini for publishing a letter they deemed to contain seditious material.

It is lamentable because these people at Umno Youth will unfortunately be the future ministers, chief ministers, deputy ministers, exco members who will readily echo and vigorously nod in agreement with government policies in the future or whatever the prime minister says.

These are the people who will also be propounding quasi-ideas as the cure-all-solve-all solutions to all the ailments of the country. There are myriad examples; curfew for misbehaving teenagers, polygamy for wandering husbands and hapless women who cannot find a man, cleaning the streets of drug-dependent persons for the upcoming NAM conference and the list goes o­n. And that was just the past few weeks or so.

It is insightful because it shows that these people at Umno Youth are backward, inward-looking and incapable of rationally and openly debate an issue. This justification came presumably from the top echelon of Umno Youth people who have had the chance to study at the best universities in the world and are no doubt highly successful in their professional life.

It is also insightful because these people at Umno Youth said

in defence: "The Malays can easily destroy the arguments of the writers. We can lay down with clear historical facts and of the many world recognitions received by the Malay Sultanate and the Malay people. If we want, we can also create a website to debate the matter with non-Malays. However, what is to be achieved with this debate? Can integration between the races be achieved this way? The debate will o­nly hurt the feelings of the many parties and wreck the harmony among the races."

At the risk of sounding patronising or stating the obvious - why don't they debate and lay down the great achievements of the Malays and the Sultanate? And of course don't forget to state the relevance. And they don't have to create a website, that will be too much work. Just use the existing forums or malaysiakini . Oh, lest we forget, racial integration could hardly be promoted with the lodging of police reports if that is their main concern.

These people at Umno Youth talk about 'Malay pride' and how they are o­nly defending it. Can they try to defend it by other means besides running to the police? What pride is there in using the state machinery to oppress citizens of the country who express views and opinions in issues that concern all? What pride is there in receiving rewards in life without working hard for them? What pride is there in practising discrimination and racism? What pride is there in threatening to burn down the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall and to call for the closure of all Chinese schools?

And because of all the above, Umno Youth is laughable.

PS, Umno Youth, are you thinking of lodging a police report over this too?