I fully agree that future Umno assemblies should not be broadcasted live. In the first place, it is purely an internal matter and we shouldn't confuse or try to mix what are party and what are government affairs. In Umno conventions, there is no prime minister, no deputy prime minister and certainly no ministers and no component parties.

Secondly, what is said and discussed in such conventions should only concern the party and how it intends to best serve the Malays and nothing else. It can propose and bring the matters to Parliament to be voted upon and acted on. That being the case, the issue of threatening other races should never arise.

Thirdly, the convention is a platform for delegates to make speeches and be recognised by other delegates and by the leadership. They should be allowed a free rein without outsiders listening in. There are many ways to get to the top in Umno (actually, this is what it is all about) and all of it is exposed in great measure at such assemblies (the only thing we have not seen to date is the burning of effigies at the courtyard of Bangunan Umno). The general public should be spared such unpleasant ordeals as 'apple polishing' and racist remarks.

And finally, we should save the leaders the need to apologise for those who have gone overboard or to distance themselves from certain speeches or delegates.

We have seen how the speeches or presentations, apart from scoring points with the leadership and hitting out at the other races, were meant to fill the time and keep people awake by poetry, jokes and other forms of entertainment. This entertainment shouldn't be discouraged but it should not be at the expense of racial harmony and confirming in people's minds that Malaysia is getting more and more intolerant by the day.

The deputy prime minister said the live telecast gave a very misleading picture of what is going on in Umno. One can argue how can it be misleading when there is blanket coverage from Monday to Friday?

It can also only be misleading if the people didn't mean what they have said or that what they have said is not really relevant to how the government behaves. Whatever the case, there is no justification for public broadcasts of Umno assemblies in future.