As a patriotic Malaysian, I find it commendable for DAP to have grown mature politically after its withdrawal from the opposition front. Although I do not foresee the possibility of DAP joining the Barisan Nasional, I think both DAP and Umno should work closer on grounds of common strategic interests, like:

1) Stemming the tide of Islamic fundamentalism as mounted by PAS which threatens the secular system; and

2) Weaken or even politically destroy Malay-based multi-ethnic opposition Keadilan because it poses a common threat to both Umno and DAP.

DAP should give deputy prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi full support as the next prime minister to dash the hopes of Anwar Ibrahim, while Umno should support DAP to further weaken the Ling Liong Sik faction of MCA.

Umno should understand that it is better for DAP's Chinese and Indians to be oppositionists, rather than Keadilan or PAS because Chinese and Indian oppositionists will never threaten the survival of Umno's regime.

Similarly, DAP must also understand that with Umno recovering lost Malay/Muslim ground, there will be no more problems of PAS posing the question of Islamic state, or Keadilan luring its members and leaders or contesting in its traditional constituencies.

In short, an Umno-DAP synergy is a win-win solution to the current mess faced by the established system.