The melodramatic scene at the close of the Umno general assembly on June 22 is a foreboding that the country's leadership has a formidable task to tackle in the coming years. Were the tears and apologetic manner of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on that day a frightening alarm of things to come?

It was unbelievable that he would break down like that when announcing his resignation.

He had admitted his failure to change the mind set of the Malays despite the affirmative policies that favour them in many sectors. Is he frightened by the prospect that they are unlikely to change in the near future? The policies have made many of them forget what it was like to face real competition and be driven to strive for excellence.

Even worse, some of them are even demanding that the facilitating policies are their right, not an interim measure to improve their community. When one race is given all the advantages, this action can have a demoralising effect on everyone — including those in the privileged group who did not benefit from it — in the country.

Such policies are more harmful than good, especially if they are not designed to improve the benefactors' competitiveness in a fair and healthy way. Everyone has the capacity and ability to improve. We should learn to live like one family even though we have different cultures and religions.

As long as the policies are not changed, the mind set of the Malays will not. This is not intended to criticise the Malays, but rather the nationalistic politicians and their policies that have done their own race a disfavour. The new administration should learn a good lesson from the past or else the country will be forever haunted by the 'dilemma'.