Dr Murugesu S ( Keadilan a true national party

, Jan 28) is certainly right in saying that Umno, MCA and MIC are 'anti-national' in the sense that these racial and racist parties, legacies from the colonial era, are mini-Palembang, mini-China and mini-India.

I think no Muslim, or for that matter, followers of other great world and universal religions like Christianity and Buddhism, should join, support or lead any racial and racist party that thrive on inter-ethnic suspicion, fear, hatred and jealousy.

Racial parties and racial ideologies contradict the universal values preached by all great religions of the world. Great religions teach us human beings to overcome tribal and racial sentiments and prejudices, and to become equal as human beings. This is also the essential teaching of Islam which rejects assabiyah (nationalism).

What is more intolerable is the fact that Umno not only bases itself on an ideology of assabiyah , namely Malay nationalism but also attempts to 'racialise' Islam in Malaysia in order to protect the individual interests of its leaders and members. Seen from the perspective of universalist Islam, Umno has distorted the religion in the eyes of non-Muslims.

It is time to disband and ban all racial and racist parties like Umno, MCA and MIC, because they retard the intellectual, moral and spiritual development of all Malaysians as human beings.