Malaysia is multi-racial and steps need to be taken to ensure that Malaysia would be known as such for the life-span of the nation. To be multi-racial means that all citizens would be called MALAYSIAN and nothing less. Thus, the government of the day should be looking into ways to ensure that our children would identify themselves as MALAYSIAN first and foremost and then secondly by their ethnic background.

I say ethnic background because, the MALAYSIAN of today may not be from a singular ethnic group. Their parents may be from different ethnic groups thus they themselves are a composite of various groups. A testament to the roots of our Malaysia.

But this is not reflected in the minds of those in top governance. Again and again we hear statements that imply the supremacy of one ethnic group over another.

Why are we still talking about the elevation and supremacy of a particular ethnic group over others? Does this mean, the said ethnic group has never been able to attain any standing in Malaysia?

Why is it that after more than 50 years of independence and control over government, the leaders of this country still talk about the supremacy of the Malays? And why is it that criticism of UMNO be equated as an attack against the Malays and in turn a criticism against Islam?

In the minds of those in governance, UMNO = MALAY = ISLAM and any criticism or comment against these three would mean you criticism the three as a whole.

Thus, would this also mean, if UMNO has failed than the three has failed in unison?

There should be a separation in the minds of the country leaders, who are almost all from UMNO, that any criticism of the establishment is to the role of the elected leader in government.

If the Finance Minister has failed in sustaining national economics, then the role of Finance Minister has failed and not the Malay person or the Muslim who held that post.

So when statements uttered by other leaders from other political parties are leveled at the Malays, UMNO should be gracious to accept such statements because UMNO itself makes statements that also tickle their friends in Barisan Nasional. UMNO should be the model of tolerance as this is commanded in Islam.

If UMNO is tolerant then the Malays would be seen as tolerant which is good because a Muslim is called to be tolerant. Instead, we have UMNO leaders using the racial card at every juncture and worst still, it becomes a religious card too and saying things that imply the Malays have little tolerance to live in a multi-racial nation.

Such inability to be tolerant shows how UMNO has de-matured (if there is a word) over the years. Malaysia's founding fathers were able to carve out a nation that was home to various ethnic groups and people (in those days) lived together in harmony. But come today, we have politicians who seemed to like contesting the racial card.

UMNO leaders of today should read their statements standing in the shoes of those who are not Malays and tell me if they don't feel anything.

Separate race, politics and religion and I believe the state of governance in Malaysia would be better.