It occurs to me that the possible decision by DAP to leave the BA reflects a more fundamental question whether there is something wrong with the state of politics in our country. Despite the strong common goal of going after the injustices of the BN, the opposition cannot bring themselves to overcome fundamental differences of race and religion.

After over 40 years of independence we are still haunted by old issues of race, religion and national unity. On one hand, you can see it as a healthy debate of never accepting status quo but on the other hand it is more likely that it is a sign of continued national disunity.

What is clear is that our founding fathers did not do a perfect job. They definitely erred in that they did not leave behind a strong framework for resolving outstanding issues. They swept the issues under the carpet as all politicians do at one point or another.

The founding fathers of the United States of America knew this when they framed their constitution. Fortunately for us, the only guard we have against deteriorating situation like in Indonesia is that, we have the democratic right to vote but does this not sound pathetic somehow?

What we need to learn as a country is that we reap what we sow and we pay for what we take. Mistakes by parents are paid by their children and the fortunes gathered by our forefathers are enjoyed by their forebears. It would pay us to understand this before we hand the country's leadership over to people who do not truly understand the significance of such a common goal.