At the Umno general assembly, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the keris is a weapon to defend all races . He said the brandishing of the keris at the party's annual meeting should not be seen as a provocative gesture but as a part of Malay heritage and tradition. Pak Lah also said that the issue of the keris has been misconstrued by the non-Malay community.

Mr PM, the keris is not a weapon to defend all races as it symbolises Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) in which the Malay Malaysians are considered to the "tuan" (masters) of Malaysia. It is disappointing when all Malaysians are not treated equally. The efforts and sacrifices of the Chinese and Indian Malaysians for this nation's development is no lesser than anyone else.

Even though, Malaysians have celebrated 50 years of independence from the colonial powers, we are no completely independent. We are still a polarised society. According to the history subject studied by all Malaysian students, the colonists polarised the nation along racial lines so that they can divide and rule (pecah dan perintah). What then is the difference between the colonial and Umno-led government?

To exhibit our love for the country, we should be waving the flag and not the keris .