Malaysian politics have been for a long time based on racial sentiments. Earlier pioneers like Dato' Onn Jaafar attempted a multiracial Umno. It failed miserably. Malays were not confident then of sharing their dominance of political power.

PAP leader Lee Kuan Yew made inroads with his "Bangsa Malaysia" just before Singapore was unceremoniously kicked out of Malaysia, because the Tunku saw the dominance of Malay eroding.

The unity of the Malay has always been advocated by Umno. Why? Against whom? The non-Malays? The non-Malay members of the Alliance and later the United Front or Barisan Nasional accepted their subordination.

DAP and Gerakan were open to all races, yet many Malays shied away from them. Why? Is it because the leader of the party is not a Malay?

Even when Umno faced its crisis and split into Umno Baru and Semangat 46, the Malays still did not join multiracial parties.

The comparatively newly formed Barisan Alternatif is a fragile alliance. Although DAP has not made any statement, it seems to have accepted Malay dominance. With no chance ever of forming the government because the Malays have yet to accept of the possibility of a non-Malay prime minister, DAP's best chance of being in the government is to be a party of an alliance that also accepts Malay dominance. The nation will benefit because all politicians can no longer sit on their laurels.

Keadilan's Saifudin Nasution Ismail who won the Lunas seat has promised to learn Chinese. Will he succeed?

What will S Samy Vellu promise this time? He'd better deliver quickly because Malaysians are no longer patient with politicians' empty promises or token development.

How will Barisan Nasional and Barisan Alternatif balance the needs of all communities? Will we see the end of the politics of racism?

Winning votes will no longer be easy. BN can no longer depend on their past records. The Anwar saga and cronyism wiped the slate clean. The medicine to cure BN is a very bitter one, which our frail PM will ignore. Doctors should know better.