Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamads recent statement that Malays are insignificant and incompetent may well be part of his ongoing deflection tactics to mislead people from other pressing political issues.

These tactics however, have their limitations and time-related potencies as history has shown that overuse of such methods over a prolonged period will not produce the desired results; on the contrary they could backfire.

Careful observation of Mahathirian tactics used after the Anwar Ibrahim debacle shows the diminishing effects of these political tantras. Once the general public becomes aware of the deception, they react with caution and in time will respond with scorn and lose confidence in the leadership.

Thus, Mahathir's hope that his statement on the insignificance of the Malays can generate attention and attract controversy may not materialise to his expectation.

This move will only alienate the leader from the people. One of the signs of political maturity is the ability of the citizens to immediately recognise the difference between political trickery and truth, and when this point is reached, trust is as good as gone.