Malaysia would be a better place without Umno - true or false?

Who is responsible for destroying racial unity in this country? Which forked-tongue party with the tacit support of their soul mate – a xenophobic NGO – is using race and religion to divide the people?

It is palpably not the Opposition. The Opposition on their part are seriously working with the marginalized minorities as well as the majority race in instilling peace and unity in the society.

Ethnic diversity is no doubt a distinctive feature of Malaysia but the Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling parties – led by the ‘Big Brother’, UMNO – opt to promote individual self-serving racial schema all in the name of promoting the interests of their own ethnic group against the other. This has led to a divisive kind of politics in the coalition since the country’s independence and it has caused grave disunity among the people of various races and religions.

The only party in the country that often uses race, religion and ethnic ‘rights’ to stay relevant in politics is UMNO. For this reason, UMNO does not deserve to talk about racial unity.

Jailing Anwar: What good would it do the BN?

Cracks are beginning to show within Umno and Barisan Nasional as its leaders face mounting pressure on all fronts with speculation of an imminent general election setting the backdrop for renewed all-out offensive against Anwar Ibrahim.

Already daggers have been drawn against the charismatic PKR and Pakatan Rakyat leader, whom many within Umno still perceive as BN’s main threat in the next election and one they would like to see removed from the political equation at any cost.

Their concern appears well-founded bearing in mind that Anwar’s standing within Pakatan is still strong and he has not wavered in his role as the lynchpin of the opposition coalition despite the many trials and tribulations, most notably the ongoing sodomy trial the 64-year-old politician is currently facing.

With the trial drawing to a close, his detractors are already insistent that he is guilty. There are already calls from several members of parliament and former aides of Anwar who have offered themselves to be prosecution witnesses in his sodomy trial. This follows Anwar’s success in getting the court to allow his defence team to call 15 people, including the prime minister and his wife, as witnesses in the trial.