The reasons for worsening ethnic relations is easy to find. PAS realises it cannot win non-Malay, non-Muslim ethnic minority votes. It wants a theocratic state. Non-Malays want a prosperous secular democratic nation with some semblance of human rights and freedoms.

The notable levels of poverty, illiteracy, human rights abuses, inequality, prejudice, lack of democracy, loss of freedom of thought, conscience or religion and other man-made disasters in places like Pakistan, Iran, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia have not gone unnoticed.

The ethnic minorities are not surprisingly not impressed with PAS' visions of an Islamic utopia. PAS can only hope to win Malay voters in the Malay heartland. Primarily by being more Arab, religious, pious, anti-Zionist, anti-apostate, and syariah-compliant. This is to reinforce its Islamic credentials in the Malay heartland.

Umno, meanwhile, realises PAS cannot win non-Malay votes. All Umno needs is to protect its nationalist credentials in the Malay heartland. Primarily by being more anti-Zionist, pious, racial and pro-NEP than thou.

We can only presume that only in Bolehland can being both pious and racially bigoted not be contradictory. It is little wonder then that the ethnic minorities tend to view all the position statements and actions of both PAS and Umno as utter hypocrisy.

Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on government-sponsored racial and religious propaganda and indoctrination, a cynical and destructive practice that has continued unabated for 30 years, and has quite deliberately foisted a siege mentality on the Malays in this country.

It has reinforced our ethnic prejudices, and the next generation learns anew to hate and fear their ethnic neighbours. It is little wonder then that hundreds of Malay men can see fit to besiege a holy communion service for young Indian children in Ipoh recently.

It is little wonder then that the redistribution of state resources, scholarships, university places, jobs, business licences, and welfare funding via the NEP is done on the basis of race and religion, and not on need.

It is little wonder then that even poor deserving people in Malaysia with excellent performance records are excluded from university places, scholarships, jobs or promotions because they are of the wrong race, culture, colour and religion.

It is little wonder then that meritocracy - if only in principle - is regarded as unacceptable by Umno.

It is little wonder then that treating another person as an equal in the religious, cultural, and linguistic arena in Malaysia is considered unacceptable, and that everything must conform according to an ethnic hierarchy, and that ideologies of ethnic subordination are not yet made redundant in this country.

It is little wonder then if affirmative action is used in the US to abolish race superiority but in Malaysia may be justified in establishing 'Ketuanan Melayu' in perpetuity.

It is little wonder then that the dominant ethnic majority in the aristocracy, cabinet, parliament, military, police, judiciary and government bureaucracy can be so easily made to feel threatened much to the bewilderment and incomprehension of the ethnic minorities.

The reasons for the state of continuing ethnic tensions in this country are clear. The Malays have been taught to regard the ethnic minorities as a threat to their racial, cultural, religious and linguistic survival by ethnic Malay leaders keen to establish their ethnic nationalist credentials as true 'defenders' of the Malay community.

Burnishing one's nationalist Malay credentials on the backs of the ethnic minorities incurs little political cost for an aspiring racial or religious leader. It is far easier to reinforce latent prejudices, fear and loathing than foster mutual respect, love and brotherhood between ethnic communities. The truth is that human nature being what it is, it is certainly easier to preach 'Ketuanan Melayu' and stay in power than it is to preach 'muhibbah' (harmony) and stay in power.

Hopefully, 30 years of authority and power will foster some degree of political maturity in the vitally important, overwhelmingly dominant ethnic Malay community. Race relations will not improve, and apartheid will be here to here to stay in perpetuity unless either Umno or PAS finds a new formula for vote-winning in the Malay heartland.