I refer to FY's letter In their own words: Umno leaders pandering to US hawks.

To me, there is nothing wrong about being pro-US or anti-US as long as o­ne is publicly honest and consistent about it. The trouble or problem with Umno leaders like its deputy president (Deputy Premier) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, vice-president (Defence Minister) Najib Abdul Razak and Youth chief (Youth and Sports Minister) Hishammuddin Hussein is that they are politically dishonest and fickle.

In Malaysia, especially in the Malay media like Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian, they posture themselves to be critical of the US, if not anti-western, but, in the words of FY, they behave like shameless and spineless minions in Washington, hoping that no o­ne in Malaysia or other parts of the Islamic, Third and Franco-German worlds know about it.

Let us be rational and honest about it. The Heritage Foundation, to whom Pak Lah and Najib spoke last year, is but o­ne of the many think tanks in the US, and there is no reason why a Malaysian deputy prime minister and a defence minister have to speak about Malaysia and Islam as if we Malaysians and Muslims have to justify our continuing existence to some demi-gods.

What right the Heritage Foundation has to be briefed about Malaysia and Islam by the top leaders of Malaysia, unless it thinks it is the master of these Malaysian and Umno leaders?

Does this not show that Umno is a party supported and inspired by foreigners and the American right-wing?

Where is national dignity and honour?

Given these hidden connections (now exposed) with the Bush administration in the United States, how can a Malaysia ruled by Umno convince other Islamic and Third World countries (like Cuba, North Korea and China) that it is genuinely non-aligned and committed to anti-imperialism?

How can Umno leaders convince France, Germany, Russia and Belgium that it is committed to a multipolar order of the world?

How can Umno leaders convince the awakening Malaysians, especially Muslims, that it is for 'peace' in Iraq ?

Unless and until Umno officially declares a clear stand o­n which camp it is committed to, its government will foreover be distrusted by all sides, including both anti-war and pro-war Malaysians, US, UK, Germany, France, Russia, China, North Korea, Cuba, Singapore ....

The covers of NAM and OIC will not help to hide Umno's opportunism in this age of information revolution.