The majority ethnic group in Singapore are achievement oriented, energetic, pragmatic, ambitious, revere education and respect thrift. Their leaders constantly harp on the need to tighten their belts, and compete harder and smarter. As a consequence, they embrace meritocracy, and have little fear of competition but dread instead closed markets, and uneven playing fields in the arena of international trade.

The majority ethnic group in Malaysia - in spite of their overwhelming domination of the Malaysian judiciary, parliament, police, armed forces, cabinet and civil service - continue to fear the potential achievements of minority ethnic groups, free markets, market discipline, open competition and meritocracy.

Singaporean leaders have no hang-ups about doing whatever it takes to achieve the Southeast Asian edition of 'The American Dream' even if it means playing catch-up with high-tech Japan or financial services king Switzerland.

Malaysian leaders, unfortunately, cannot afford to do the same to achieve similar aspirations and hope to stay in power. Sadly for all of us, Malaysian leaders in Umno rest their credibility on upholding and defending supremacist ideologies in order to stay in power under the banner of Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) or more politely, The Malay Agenda.

They frighten the Malays with bogeymen threats, ruthlessly demonise the Chinese and Indian minorities, and practice grossly discriminatory policies that guarantee unequal racist treatment in education and employment. Sadly again for the rest of us, PAS is equally guilty in terms of regarding Islam in supremacist terms, and would find it near impossible to dialogue with other faiths on equal terms.

We should not therefore compare Malaysian aspirations with Singaporean aspirations. We have chosen different roads to travel. I should therefore like to point out the real road that Malaysians have chosen to travel - that is, the road Malaysian political elites in Umno or PAS must choose to travel if they wish to stay in power.

It is the same road to destruction that rich and corrupt Arab political leaders take to make sure they too stay in power. In very real terms, Malaysia is aspiring to become an Arab-OIC nation in every respect. In terms of what Malaysia is trying to achieve, and as a guide to the future of our country, I shall give My Vision of Malaysia's 2020.

In the Middle East, there is no democracy. No free press. No free speech. Your safety is not guaranteed. People have been shot dead in Egypt for promoting secularism. Torture is common in Arab jails even before you are convicted. Human rights is not respected. There is no freedom of religion.

Adultery and apostasy is met with stoning and beheadings. Other religious faiths are completely outlawed in Saudi Arabia. There is gross discrimination depending on which religious belief you practice, which tribe or village you come from, and how closely related you are to the ruling elites.

There is slavery and genocide in the Sudan. There is no equal treatment. Even being the 'wrong type' of Muslim is dangerous. In Saddam's Iraq, Kurds were gassed, Shias were sent to the dangerous front-lines, and Sunnis were placed in the elite Republican Guards bringing up the rear. No meritocracy. You get government contracts purely on your standing with the ruling elites in power. No open tender. Best offer does not get the contract. If you are related to the ruling elites by blood, you will get the contract regardless.

There's no independent judiciary. Right and wrong depends entirely on your standing with the ruling elites in power. No clean politicians. No right to vote. No fair trial. People in power literally get away with murder. Not surprisingly, the work ethic is totally destroyed. Rich Arabs do not place their money in Arab banks but in American and European banks. The moral fibre of the community is completely destroyed, and the sad fact is, Arabs find it very difficult to trust fellow Arabs.

In this type of economic, political and social environment, what would you expect? Of course, people will say we are not yet as bad as many Arab countries that are plagued with low literacy rates, torture, totalitarian rule, gender discrimination, poverty, brutal human rights violations, genocide, racism, religious conflict, slavery, and war. Nevertheless, Malaysia seems intent on catching up.

If we disregard in Malaysia the universal principles of equal treatment, equal citizenship, meritocracy, justice, honesty, independent judiciary, free press, democracy, free speech, freedom of religion, and human rights, and if the Malay Agenda cannot accommodate these ideals, then the writing is surely on the wall.

On this cynically immoral road to destruction that our corrupt and obscenely wealthy Umno leaders have chosen to take to enrich, and entrench themselves in power, I think we as a nation should arrive just in time for Malaysia's Vision (Umno-PAS-Arab) 2020.

Unless the average Malay voter comes to his senses to see past the racial rhetoric, and see where this country is really headed, then our fates are sealed together as a nation. We are doomed.