The stage was all set for the mother of all speeches as Umno president of 22 years was about to deliver his swansong (address).

Many had expected wisdom to flow from the man about to retire. It would be among Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's last few speeches in Umno. Surely it would be very different.

But the man who gave the nation Vision 2020 was very preoccupied with 'future threats' - he made his exit highlighting enemies!

There were few dreams and visions to offer. He, instead, decided to set Umno in a denial mode, take her on a long diversion, by demonising the Europeans. He devoted 77 paragraphs of his 157-paragraph speech to attacking the European race - making the West the scapegoat for Umno's moral bankruptcy.

The PM who had nudged the nation on to Look East, retires by taking wild swings at the wild West. The Umnoputras lapped up to it - Vision 2020, after all, is about seeing perfectly the faults of your enemies and being blind to your own.

Ironically, his final 'credible' advice was "we must not go overboard with criticism (of the government), and "when we criticise, we must mind our language"!

He was going to "call a spade a spade" - but it resulted in him burying the whole of the European race in unfair generalities. And so he dug deep into history - avoiding such facts like the existence of Asian 'colonialists' (for example, Japan) who were even more cruel than the white Europeans!

After 'controlling' his country for a good 22 years he was going to warn his people that the Europeans wanted "to control the world again". He vilified the European race, accusing them of "warmongering" and indiscriminate attacks against Muslims. Terrorism has rekindled their "violent ways".

But with each vitriolic volley the veteran politician delivered in his valedictory speech, the mud flew back in his face. What he accused the "re-colonising" white European of, he was equally or even more guilty.

He warned Umno of the "oppressive rule of the former colonialists", yet he has, over the past 22 years, amended and made even more draconian laws left behind by the British - to contain, cripple and crush legitimate dissent by Malaysians.

The man who barked at the European's new slogan 'regime change' is the very same man who many a time hastened the regime change of local political parties, such as in Sabah and MCA.

Dr Mahathir was in his element when he so smugly had a go at the "greedy" European, yet he was very silent on greedy Malaysians and how this country has become so increasingly rife with corruption, especially in the form of money politics.

Continuing on, Mahathir said that Malaysia was finding it hard to restore her economy to the 1997 level "when the cheating and commercial crimes in America were exposed."

Yet he forgets to mention the commercial cheating, and the collapse (and bailing out) of companies during his 22 years as prime minister. Or even the Time Dotcom saga - which the Employees' Provident Fund had invested in, resulting in the loss of RM110 million of the rakyat's money.

Dr Mahathir spoke proudly of Malaysia's ability "to handle the financial crisis in 1997-1998 in its own way...". Indeed, why would Malaysia need the International Monetary Fund (the white European's solution) when the government has a free hand with the EPF.

What about the massive loss of public funds due to EPF's 'prudent' strategy in bailing out companies such as Perwaja Terengganu (RM600 million loss) and Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan (Star)?

Is the white European to be blamed for the stupendous losses through EPF's associate/subsidiary companies such as Malaysia Building Society Bhd, YTR Harta Sdn Bhd, Affordable Homes Sdn Bhd, Malaysian Capital Venture Sdn Bhd, Project Banda Samarian, etc.?

Is it the fault of the white European for the government's RM1.8 billion buy-back (read "bailout"), with public funds, of the MAS stake of Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli (once one of Malaysia's highest-flying businessmen, now blamed for running MAS to the ground).

Dr Mahathir also warned that the white European will impose on this country culture and values based on greed, hedonism and sexual deviancy.

The crowd needed only to take a glance at the huge stage, to reach the realisation that it is not only the white Europeans who are susceptible to such moral weaknesses - there was Wanita chief Rafidah Aziz, and vice-presidents Najib Razak, Muhyiddin Yassin and Muhammad Muhammad Taib

All the home truths which Dr Mahathir and his deputy tried to drive home were drowned by his hysterical and half-baked history lesson. In his closing speech he even declared that Umno has been 'healed' and is at its strongest position!

There were no tears when Dr Mahathir finished his closing speech because it will soon be Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's turn to cry - especially when reality hits home and the country is in deep debt due to the mega-loans taken to satisfy the mega-ego of his predecessor.