Mahathir latest tirade against the Jews and the West brings to mind the well-known Malay proverb ' pandai-pandai tupai melompat akhirnya ke tanah juga .'

In trying to project himself as a champion of the Muslims he has sent a disastrous message of prejudice to the very people that he knows we need to do business with in order to progress.

Although it was a fine speech , he made the fatal error of trying to champion an 'us against them' mindset which will invariably invoke for some, a hatred for the Jews. The politics of hatred as we are being told is a PAS tactic and one which he claims to know well enough and condemns.

Luckily for all of us he is stepping down soon and it will be damage control and mending of fences for the new administration, ie. if they know what they are doing.

No man is an island and sometimes some things are just best left unsaid - that's what my wife tells me anyway - but unfortunately he just could not resist the temptation of having one last shot at 'immortality'.

Oh what price!