The farce of the so-called 'intellectuals' and 'professionals' in Gerakan publicly insulting or cursing each other without shame is but the latest of a series of tragicomedies under the BN regime.

The last two were the Mahathir-Rafidah public confrontation over the AP scandal and the free-for-all political orgy of the recent MCA elections.

What do all these tragicomedies show? Some say it is democracy at work but I see it as a sign that the greedy and megalomaniac politicos in BN - whatever their self-professed racial or religious affiliation are - have become anarchic in their scrambles to exploit their public offices for personal gains.

I also see it as a sign that Umno and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahamd Badawi have both lost their grip over their leaders despite their attempt to project an illusion of Umno or prime ministerial supremacy for the consumption of a malleable segment of the population.

Meanwhile, the rakyat of all races are suffering from toll hikes, inflation, traffic jams, air pollution, rise in crime and corruption.

The BN system and model of governance have become dysfunctional, meaningless and purposeless except for a clique of the ruling elite who use it as a cover to make their theft and robbery of public resources appear legitimate and moral.