I am an ethnic Chinese Malaysian. Unlike Ming Hoe , I am not worried about PAS' reassurances that the prime minister must be Muslim.

If PAS fails to make these reassurances then Umno will surely outflank PAS on the ethno-nationalist, 'Ketuanan Melayu' front in the upcoming general elections.

Group anxieties are easily aroused by ethnic rhetoric, and without specific reassurances by PAS, racial rhetoric will once again come to characterise political discourse in Malaysia.

As a general rule, racial rhetoric reappears whenever racial politicians calculate that it makes electoral sense to do so.

I would feel even more reassured if indeed the PM, DPM, and ministerial posts of the Defence Ministry and Education Ministry were all reserved by PAS for Malay Muslims only. Personally I think this a good way to keep communally-inspired politicking by Umno to a minimum.

Indeed, I am more concerned that PAS may want to change the federal constitution. Will these changes be:

1) better protect human rights?

2) better guarantee the independence of the judiciary?

3) better guarantee independent press?

4) better guarantee my freedom of thought and expression?

5) better protect democracy in this country?

6) better protect all citizens against potential abuses of power and patronage by our elected officials, corruption, cronysim and nepotism?

If the constitution itself is not the problem but only its implementation, then why try to fix it?