The increasing public preoccupation with ritual correctness by Malay-Muslim personalities and leaders continue to baffle and amaze the non-Malays and non-Muslims and other 'second-class citizens' in this country. The competition is fierce as they strive to outdo each other on who is more pious, more Arab, and more authentically Muslim.

We shall attempt to explicate this curious phenomena of ritual correctness and purity from the less holy perspective of competition for the Malay-Muslim votes by PAS and Umno.

In a country where the right to rule is conferred by indigenousness (not merit, not common sense, not transparency, not personal accountability, not personal integrity) and where indigenousness translates narrowly into Malayness and Muslimness, then matters touching upon ethnicity are vital matters given the main importance by PAS and Umno leaders wary of being upstaged by one another.

Non-Malay non-Muslim citizens are concerned that the one-upsmanship between PAS and Umno will result in even more illogical and unwarranted restrictions on personal and public freedoms.

In addition to the institutionalised burdens of Malaysian citizenship like not being allowed to think (UUCA Act 1971: ask any local university student), not being able to disagree publicly (ISA), not being able to make informed decisions because one cannot get information (OSA), and not ever being equal (NEP: ask anyone with the 'wrong' pigmentation, culture, language or religion), second-class citizens are now facing additional strictures.

These include not being able to kiss in public (even if she is your own wife), not being able to hug in public (even if she is your girlfriend), and not being able to keep dogs (even if it deters crime in your neighborhood).

In the ever-spiralling competition for literal and ritual religious correctness and purity between PAS and Umno, a decidedly less free atmosphere has descended upon our nation.

Young bureaucrats and civil servants, and especially those from our public universities that have been brainwashed by Biro Tatanegara into 'saya setuju' robots, will likely confuse public displays of piety and fiery rhetoric from our career ethnic politicians for real religion.

Depending on whether PAS and Umno agree to find something else to argue about between themselves, non-Malay non-Muslim citizens can safely expect more bizarre DBKL summonses than ever before for kissing and hugging fellow human beings in public, and for loving non- syariah compliant canines.