I fully agree with Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's Chinese New Year message that the 'rakyat' must constantly make efforts to maintain peace and harmony so that any tension or conflict, which could affect the existing harmonious atmosphere or stability, be positively managed or avoided.

Abdullah continued that in the Malaysian culture, the sensitivities of all parties must be taken into consideration.

But I do not sincerely think that the problem is with the ordinary people like you and me, but in politicians who thrive on playing the racist card because it continues to offer them an unfettered path up the political chain of command fully assisted by an irresponsible and unfettered vernacular media.

The ordinary folk in our housing estates, in the kampungs and villages and estates, our dear 'mak chik', 'Tuan Haji', 'Uncle Samy or Chong' have no difficulty interacting with one another free from politics and it is precisely for this reason I laud the action of Abdullah in the recent case of the nine ministers and their memorandum where he refused to play the racial card and advised all parties to take a sober and educated move which facilitated calm.

Over the last two decades, we have seen those who would wave a kris, the organising of mass demonstrations and the holding of political meetings in places of worship - all which could have overturned and rewritten this nation's history if we did not have sober and pragmatic leaders.

As Pak Lah stated, if we want to say or do something, we should not think only of ourselves but also those around us.

And the operative words are just that - 'around us'.