I refer to the apology offered by Harakah editor, Zulkifli Sulong over the controversial cartoon published in the party's organ.

The cartoon was certainly presented in bad taste. Its publication was also wrong.

However, I am truly glad that Harakah has done the right and noble thing by offering a public apology. I can accept the apology just as I accepted the apology of Singapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew a few years ago over his offensive remarks on Johor Baru.

To err is only human. Every one of us, whatever our ethnic and religious background, makes mistakes and errors. It takes noble men or women to admit it and say sorry.

For example, when the London-based Janes' Intelligence Review and Singapore's Straits Times wrongly alleged that PAS had links with Osama bin Laden, they publicly apologised.

However, as a non-partisan Malaysian, I am still waiting for a public apology from the following persons and organisations for their offensive and even dangerous utterances in public:

Umno president and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for referring to education group Suqiu and its supporters as 'communists' and 'Al-Ma'unah';

Umno Youth for publicly threatening to raze the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall to the ground;

Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Kadir Sheikh Fadzir for suggesting that Chinese Malaysians are "disloyal" because allegedly very of few of them display the Jalur Gemilang during the Merdeka celebrations;

Umno president and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for likening the victims of terrorism in Washington DC, New York and Bali to 'collateral damage', thus making Malaysia a nation of apologists for terrorism.

Do these Umno and government leaders have the courage and sincerity in offering a public apology for their offensive and dangerous remarks? Or are they immune from law, norms and public opinion?

To say this is not to suggest that two wrongs make a right. It is only to remind media commentators, whether they are official and foreign (including Singapore), that they must not practise double standards.