I have just asked a friend, a senior medical doctor married to a Australian-trained accountant and mother of three and who has lived in this country for over 15 years uninterrupted, whether she still wants to pursue her application for a permanent residence (PR) status. Indeed, based on recent happenings, there are claims that she and her family may be better off in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England or even the US.

The question was not unusual as daily my wife, a senior medical doctor and I discuss this same option of whether to move. As parents of two young children, we are considering this option not out of just desire but out of sheer anxiety, fear and desperation for our children's future.

Fear, anxiety and desperation that comes when we see fanatics and racists emerging on our political landscape and sowing their seeds of suspicion and contempt and attempting to further divide a nation that is still going through various forms of institutionalised social engineering. Many of such actions will disappoint and upset our beloved founding fathers if they were indeed alive today.

First, we saw a group of political desperadoes embarrassing the Penang chief minister at an official function creating red faces in the Barisan Nasional camp. The language used on the posters and banners at the function were simply crude and distasteful. Until today, none of the perpetrators of that action have been identified, let alone, disciplined by the powers-that-be.

In another incident, a young politician on a political roadshow was alleged to have made political speeches that upset the Chinese Malaysians in the country. He has yet to apologise. Even before this issue was laid to rest, we were rocked by the claims by Deputy Higher Education Minister Ong Tee Keat of 'misappropriation' in the school repair funds for vernacular schools.

Instead of addressing the complaint in a comprehensive and professional manner, he was instead chastised in a 'show of political force' even before there was an inquiry. It was as if 'someone' was indicating that dissent of or the exposure of wrongdoings by the politically dominant force will not be tolerated, no matter, how right, justifiable or real the issue was.

However, kudos to the Works Ministry who confirmed that there were indeed irregularities involving the contractor when he was paid RM30,000 for a job costing only RM3,000. A strange sense of generosity with public funds we seem to have inherited.

Common sense and political decorum would imply that an apology would be in order, but to date, that has never come in a nation where political adventurers scream for apologies and indulge in the burning of effigies when their version of facts and history, let alone events, are indeed challenged. But that is not all.

At the grassroots, there is anger with the recent closure of several school canteens at government schools during the current fasting month without notice to parents of the minority races which is yet again interpreted as a show of arrogance and insensitivity to the minorities in what is supposed to be a multi-racial and multi-religious country.

Hardly had we managed this controversy, when another erupted when an Umno politician directed an outburst at the Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce warning them not to 'play with fire' when the former objected to certain unfair points outlined under the Penang Structural Plan. 'This is our land, our rights, our constitution' among other statements are certainly crude and unhealthy coming during the tenure of the holy and sacred month of prayer and fasting.

I would have thought such behaviour, threats and statements from BN politicians would be condemned by the political hierarchy, but to date, this has not happened.

I believe this is the kind of omission, insensitivity and arrogance that will see us fail miserably in the near future in being a truly unified nation as politically-connected individuals and politicians with their own agenda go politically amok and use race, religion and politics to gain for themselves huge portions of the nation's wealth for themselves and the rakyat's expense.