I think our national leaders have no moral right to call for national unity and integration so long as Barisan Nasional remains a coalition of mainly racially-based parties. This charade has been going on since Independence under the Alliance. Either do away with such parties or just live and let live. Any call for unity is just being hypocritical.

The prime minister has said that Umno must gain political strength. Already in full control of the country, Umno is still not satisfied. The prime minister, no less, has been harping on Umno's strength and the need to maintain its political hold.

This implies there is a threat from the Chinese and Indians! How would MCA and MIC leaders and members feel? How could they put up with this charade for so long and for all to see?

If this is the case, why do we need the national service programme just to inculcate national unity and racial interaction? What about leadership by example? How do you expect the students to believe in the programme when their leaders have not integrated politically?

Why is our country so concerned with national unity and integration? Is there an external threat? In our progress towards developed nation status, race and religion should not be part of the government's patronising policies. Fourty-seven years after Independence, we are still worried about which race is dominating or losing its dominance.

Since Independence, we have been ruled by Umno with its president invariably becoming the prime minister. This position is decided by 2,500 Umno delegates. After 22 years under the dictatorial leadership of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the baton has been passed to Pak Lah.

With due respect to PM, it has now become a custom to have 'no-contests' for the top two Umno positions, the incumbents of which also occupy the top two Cabinet postions. So, in fact, it was not even the democratic choice of Umno, let alone the whole country.

Meanwhile, the MCA, MIC and other coalition party leaders are happy to be part of the power- sharing arrangement even though there is no real power to share. The MCA president has to be one acceptable to the Umno president, not one whom is a real democratic choice of MCA.

The MIC president has been involved in the privatisation of most public utility companies. His immense wealth and power within his party ensures there is no competition for his position, and his successor will be one of his choice, subject to the approval of the Umno president.

The Gerakan president cannot even make a statement about religion in schools without censure from the prime minister. Is this 'BN power-sharing' or 'Umno-powered sharing'?

It is a pity Gerakan decided to join Barisan Nasional instead of remaining as one of the opposition parties. Similarly, PBS in Sabah caved in due to weak leaders more concerned about personal positions. Dr Tan Chee Khoon was instrumental in founding Gerakan and he left because of its joining BN. He advised PBS leader Joseph Pairin towards his election victory in Sabah.

He would have been disappointed if he were still alive today.

Now Dr Tan Yee Kew is disciplined by the MCA for allowing video clips of fighting between different groups of supporters to be shown on television. If this is not an example of a cover-up, I do not know what is.

Why can't the public see for themselves what actually happened? How else can we be more transparent?

Malaysia has still a long way to go as far as true democracy is concerned.