If we follow Umno and Barisan Nasional politics closely, it would then not be surprising that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has again badmouthed non-Malay Malaysians and Singapore. He needs 'bogeys' to divert attention and imagined enemies to hold the Malay ground for the following reasons.

  1. Despite the media blackout, the Malay community is very concerned with the issue of whether Azalina Othman is guilty of corruption and is a homosexual as alleged by Khalid Jafri;

  • A significant number of leaders and members in Umno, Wanita Umno and Pemuda Umno are unhappy with the way the institutionalisation of Puteri Umno is bulldozed by Mahathir;

  • Mahathir has angered many MCA leaders and members for suspending the party's elections;

  • Despite his anti-American and anti-Western rhetoric for years, he has now to fly to US to beg for foreign support for his regime;

  • His fourth deputy, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is being threatened not only by the three Umno vice-presidents but also snubbed by MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik;

  • His rash and unthinking suggestion to revive English-medium schools have caused widespread dissension not only among Malay, but Chinese and Indian Malaysians whose Asian identity is threatened;

  • PAS has in fact gained more than Umno from the Palestinian and humanity lecture because many Malays and non-Malays alike have seen that PAS is as mainstream as Umno; and

  • If Umno cannot regain lost ground, MCA will also disintegrate and lose support and legitimacy.

    • There is then a need for all Malaysians to keep cool and calm, and ignore Mahathir's provocation. There is no need for Malays to hate non-Malays, or vice versa. Unlike before, we now have a Malay-predominant multi-ethnic Barisan Alternatif which can maintain national unity and inter-ethnic harmony.

    Leaders, members and supporters of BA must work hard to neutralise Mahathir's provocation to spark off a crisis. It is also time for Chinese Malaysians who voted for BN to see for themselves the perfidy of Umno and Mahathir.