I am appalled to learn from DAP chief Lim Kit Siang in the local press yesterday that Malaysia does not have diplomatic relations with the Vatican. Even Iran, Iraq, Eygpt and Indonesia have diplomatic relations.

It just goes to show the insincerity of the leaders of our country. Day in, day out, they pay lip service to a moderate, tolerant, multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-lingual, multi-cultural Malaysia when it suits them, like trying to lure foreign tourists with a tagline like "Truly Asia",etc.

But in fact, we non-Muslims know the discrimination and the obstacles we face from bureaucrats, when we try to apply for permits to build churches or temples, for example.

And what about traffic police issuing summonses for illegal parking near churches on Sundays, but not near mosques on Friday, when they will be blatantly 'directing' traffic and not issuing summonses. This has been highlighted in the local press by a 'Christian Datin' but as usual, the authorities didn't care a hoot.

Diplomatic relations with Israel is another issue that also begs an answer but that's political. The Vatican? Now that really stumps me. Pardon my ignorance for not knowing about this until Lim Kit Siang pointed it out to the nation, but we have 800,000 Christians (or is it just Roman Catholics) and I just have one question for our leaders, i.e., "Please give us one good reason why our government has not established diplomatic relations with the Vatican after so long".