The mainstream press is having a field day on the Kongsi Raya controversy generated by the 'authoritative' views of our nation's top ulama, but the 2006 Malaysian Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Performance of a Leading Male Politician should go to DPM Najib Razak.

But first, one only needs to read the following views in the mainstream press to confirm how seriously out of touch with the modern society are the ulama.

The title to a letter in Utusan Malaysia exposed the fallacy of the ulama point blank - Ulama perlu faham kongsi raya berbeza kongsi agama .

Why our ulama almost always choose the most intolerant opinion, the answer is obvious. Only by emphasising the differences and rejecting the commonalities among us can they carve out a distinct political cause and constituency for themselves and in order to advance their agenda of a theocracy of which they alone are the undisputed, only qualified group of leaders.

Given their self-centred agenda, the only group of people who are threatened by joyous celebrations of our commonalities seems to be the ulama, not the Islamic faith. Perhaps, in their attempt to jealously guard their position, they do not mind attacking the 'dangerous ideas' of liberalism and pluralism.

But in the sideshows to this controversy, there are some troubling signs. After the ulama publicised their call upon the government to review Kongsi Raya celebrations, newspapers reported that they were given support by none other than the pretender to the crown, Najib, who, continuing his habit of being the first to pronounce the government's views on virtually every subject like he is already the PM, was the first top leader to promise that the government will heed the call to review.

Embarrassingly for Najib, at the same time, leaders across the racial and religious divides such as Rais Yatim, the Perak menteri besar and James Maximus Ongkili as well as most of the mainstream media all begged to differ from the ulama. The next day, the prime minister himself immediately affirmed that the Kongsi Raya practice will go on, and this was swiftly supported by the leaders of all BN component parties.

It was telling that all top BN leaders appeared in the photo op that day except the poor Najib, who had clearly and critically misjudged public sentiment on the issues. Perhaps, he was still doing the review by himself somewhere else.

How far would Najib - or any aspiring politician for that matter - go to coopt the religious fanatics in his quest for the throne should be the concern for all of us. But it is not enough to just 'hope' that our politicians will not go down the Saudi path of forming a theological and political pact with the Wahhabists in the 1920s. The voice of moderation has also got to get louder in dissuading any of them from even thinking about doing so.