Yes, Hishammuddin Hussein, "Someone planned (the) recent rallies and street demos" (The Star, Dec 4, 2007.) It is definitely not a coincidence and this "someone" is going to see that there are more street protests and civil disobedience.

Umno leaders have been cloistered in the corridors of power for so long that they no longer recognise that the "someone" is the struggling worker trying to stay afloat in a sea of rising prices and marginalised as a third-class citizen. That "someone" is an angry person who sees a bleak future for his children, where lucrative jobs and contracts are parceled out by the colour of your skin and the political largesse that party sycophants receive for their loyalty.

The opposition is not the sole instigator although it is benefitting greatly from the groundswell of resentment built up since the implementation of the New Economic Policy, a resentment which does not need much fanning to ignite.

It is very fine for the Umno Youth chief to lament "It's very easy for one party to address its own constituents, to address only one race and promise the world to them, but when you ask them to make a stand which involves the future of the country which is multiracial, they are not able to so" when speaking about the opposition parties. But has everyone in Umno been doing that?

The non-bumiputera would very much like to think of themselves as being Bangsa Malaysia but would the 'Ketuanan Melayus' think of themselves as Malays first or Malaysians?

The prime minister said that "We have managed to reduce the country's poverty level from 50% to 5.7% within the past 50 years." In that same period of time, how many Malays have become millionaires? It takes two or three generations for a Chinese or Indian family business to amass the kind of wealth while it is something an Umnoputra with the right connections can achieve in less than a generation. All civil servants, including ministers, should make a public declaration of their assets.

A previous prime minister had published a list of Umno cronies. Several prominent businessmen and bankers proudly declared themselves as cronies. So cronies are good for the country and are doing very well indeed.