Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, admitted that he agreed in principle to the Suqiu's [#1]17-point appeal[/#] just before the 1999 general election in order to secure Chinese votes. After the election he did an about-turn and further likened Suqiu to the communists. I am quite sure that henceforth it will be very difficult for the Chinese to cast their votes in favour of Barisan Nasional.

My concern, however, is not which coalition the Chinese will vote for after being treated like donkeys by Mahathir, but more as to why Mahathir made such an admission. Mahathir is not stupid (unless, of course, he has gone senile). So why did he make such a damaging admission? Is his conscience pricked? Wishful thinking.

I concur with Parmesan Cheese ([#2]Don't fan flames from Dr M's blast[/#], Dec 13) that Mahathir is now strategising to win back the support of the Malays. And he is doing it in the only way he and Umno leaders know how - by playing up the Malay-Chinese thing.

But Malaysians of all races have wised up to this old trick. It might work in the 1960s or 1970s but in the third millennium, Mahathir needs much more than this to make me and my fellow Malays go around wielding the parang against our non-Malay brothers.

I would like to call upon my fellow Malaysians, whether you are a Malay, Chinese, Indian or "others", not to fall into Mahathir's trap. As Parmesan Cheese aptly put it, keeping silent at this point is the best strategy.