I've been an observer of Malaysian politics and policy for over 18 years and most of the time I just don't get it with the Malaysian government. The latest is an old o­ne: trying to step into big shoes. More than that, the government's attempts at grandiloquence.

Example: Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad saying yesterday Malaysia will offer facilities during the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Kuala Lumpur next week so that the Organisation of Islamic Conference members can discuss the Iraq crisis. Then he says why bother because the United States and the West never have and never will take the OIC seriously. What's more, some OIC members are even backing the US' militarist posture o­n Iraq.

This comes following Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar's written offer to the OIC secretariat last week expressing Malaysia's willingness to host an OIC meeting o­n Iraq o­n the sidelines of the NAM summit.

Thing is, why indeed bother with all this pomposity in the first place when it's been clear that since 1990 most Arab Muslim states have been quietly and increasingly supporting the US' Middle East policy, and even financing it?

In fact, Arab Muslim support for the US is even stronger now. Certainly it has been growing since July last year when the White House and Pentagon began planning an invasion of Iraq, in full knowledge of the important Arab allies.

There's not o­ne Arab Muslim state that is not backing the US, with the possible exception of the Palestinian Authority (it has not yet achieved statehood), since Yasser Arafat has been allegedly receiving material support from Iraq's Saddam Hussein.

Iran, which along with Iraq and North Korea is part of the US' 'axis of evil', has caved in to US pressure, but Iran now senses an opportunity to carve out its political influence amid the Iraq crisis. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, is quietly backing the US despite the growing protest by many thousands of Muslim Indonesians. Turkey, with begging bowl in hand, is desperately seeking US and Nato military protection and aid ahead of the war o­n Iraq.

Let's not waste any more Malaysian taxpayers' money o­n inconsequential events when that money can be much more wisely used in other areas, such as poverty alleviation of all Malaysians. There are huge opportunity costs with every decision made. And there have been enormous policy blunders over 33 years. It's a wild list of scandalous opportunism through the corrupt abuse of power and position.

Enough is enough.