The prime minister's sudden generous offer to accept the Sabah Chinese from recently defunct Akar party to join Umno is no surprise. After losing the support of the majority of Malays in the peninsula, he managed to cling to power for another term because of the non-bumiputra votes.

The result of the Lunas by-election and the events after it, however, has made him realise that the non-bumiputras now are withdrawing their support for him.

Being a non-bumiputra, I was hurt when the PM branded some of us, especially the Chinese, as communists during the Suqiu-bashing period . If that is so then what do we call our PM who embraced and welcomed with open arms the Cuban and Chinese leaders who are true-blooded communists? I don't recall any apologies from the PM about his remarks on Suqiu.

Now he is turning his attention to the non-Malays in Sabah and Sarawak for support. My Sino friends working in Kuala Lumpur found it amusing and hilarious that the author of The Malay Dilemma who has been calling all the Malays for support suddenly realised there are others who can be accepted by the United Malays National Organisation. The 'invitation' from the PM has become the butt of the jokes amongst them.

In the words of my Sino roommate from Keningau " Aku ni sudah jadi orang Melayu ba. " (I'm now a Malay ba.)