The country in such an unbelievable mess that just thinking about it pusings the kepala. A bizzare mau ta mau dance in fact. There is doubt if even the protagonists know when and how the dance to discordant music will stop.

The best guess is it will wheeze to a stop with nothing resolved as has become the set style of the bristling relationship between Umno and PAS.

What they don't know or refuse to acknowledge is that they need each other. Otherwise life will be without andrenalin pumping excitement and the Malay language will not be richer by the addition of various Arabic words that add flavour to the hissing and spitting of venom at each other.

What is clear is that Umno is tilting off balance with the departure of many young adults to PAS and Keadilan. And the others from the same generation are shying away from the saviour of the race party.

How sad. After all the party has done for them.

This most unfair. And so, it's only natural for Umno to invite Malay-based opposition to talk about this imbalance which it themes as Malay disunity. Funny, how all of sudden, push button politics doesn't seem to work anymore. Maybe it's even terminal.

Oh, perish the thought, they'll whip up something else to keep the pot boiling. Where's the fun otherwise, eh? Must keep the sweaty masses, (oh dear, it's air-con masses now, isn't it?) entertained, what?

One thing is sure though. Thanks to two kepala keras men who refused to give ground after playing their own coy version of ada pun tada, tada pun ada game since don't know when, we are now in a cusp of dramatic changes. This is result of their showdown. The must be only one.

Now, there's only one and the other is in jail.

Better than Copperfield

Umno leaders, particularly Prime Minister and party president Dr Mahathir Mohamad's diagnosis is a bad case of Malay disunity, must have a second and third opinion.

They say the Umno supreme council gave the president instructions to invite the two parties for the big and important pow wow. Imagine that. They gave instructions to Mahathir. Unbelievable, times sure are a'changing.

When I first read the news, I sighed and said to myself "there goes the old man. Trying to pull rabbits out a hat again. "So many times all ready that trick. Can he or can he not?"

But then again Dr Chandra Muzaffar once said at a public talk at the Penang Chinese Assembly Hall in the late 80s, when the PM had done in the judiciary: "Dr Mahathir is greater than David Copperfield. He can make public institutions disappear".

Waah, the good doctor is trying to conjure the original bench out of his bag of tricks now. And that's by popular demand. Otherwise he wouldn't have bothered. You know him. A glutton for adulation.

However, for resuscitating gasping and turning blue in the face enterprises, he has to depend on the public purse. And therein lies the rub.

I understand a lot of people are fed up of tycoons of huge conglomerates who did this and that without considering small timers and when in trouble run to the government hat in hand. Shame, shame.

The government, of course, wants to help very much but there is this problem - these darn people who are ranting and raving about corporate governance and transparency, taking out their lovely lolly out of the country.

Apparently this has affected the stock market which I am told is looking rather sick for lack of nourishment. What's more, it appears that the Chinese are very upset that Mahathir had likened them to communists and the Al Ma'unah group that is on trial for alleged treason and other charges.

Chap cheng parties

The silly fellows were allegedly trying to overthrow the government. I mean, what a stupid thing to try. Might as well rob a couple of banks (now in fashion) and retire for life. Perhaps buy an island instead of headaches and rule over it. Somebody must check if they are all there during full moon time.

Sorry. Got carried away.

Some also said Mahathir leveled the accusation because the naughty Chinese had asked the government to drop the special privileges and other perks reserved for the Malays and other Bumiputra.

On top of that they had even said no to the Vision school concept where all the schoolchildren can grow up as kawan-kawan and marry and have plenty of muhibbah children. Waah. Can you imagine, got stamina or not?) finally Bangsa Malaysia. No Umno. No MCA. No MIC. Only chap cheng parties fighting each other.

But the Chinese don't want that. They like the old fun better because a lot of non-Chinese, including Malays, are joining their schools and having a jolly good time doing better than those in government schools.

And if they fight, they can curse both in Mandarin and Bahasa Kebangsaan, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Baku - or even in good old Malay.

And then, let me clue you in to a secret. While they are pumping out hot air by the cubic metres, the foreigners are buying up the country. Maybe the country will become like old China, foreign nations carving up Malaysia, according to their own interest.

All that is needed now is a man on the roof playing the fiddle to complete the picture.

Happy New Year one and all!