Too little, too late The government may be realizing a little belatedly about the high price the country will have to pay for the self-inflicted damage caused by UMNO hot heads in their “battle” against their imaginary external enemies. While it may be exhilarating to play to the gallery and lap up all the mob applause, the hangover the morning after, is likely to plague the government for some time to come. Investor confidence would have definitely plummeted even further after the UMNO shenanigans. Any global investor road shows organized by ECM Libra will be laughed off the stage. The façade, which was not properly constructed in the first place, is cracking. The very real possibility of Malaysia being marginalized is not so far-fetched anymore. While the Prime Minister is blissfully unaware or unwilling to see the real world, he will at least be aghast at the possibility that even his Singapore friends may now be reluctant to pour billions of dollars into his much-touted South Johor development proposal. People have long memories and the pogrom against the Chinese in Indonesia was a mere eight years ago. Singapore will particularly sit up and take note of what was talked about during the UMNO general assembly. No amount of papering over the cracks by this questionable government is going to convince them otherwise. Commentators are already counting the cost of UMNO’s irrational behavior to the country’s economy. Indeed, the price that we Malaysians may have to pay is not likely to be light. The Deputy Prime Minister has feebly gone on record to state that the authorities may take action against party delegates who may have made seditious speeches. So what, many Malaysians will ask. In a country where the rule of law is undermined in order that certain larger-than-life personalities can escape unscathed, the chances of any real punitive action against these culprits who have damaged Malaysia are low indeed. UMNO, a party which only has a miniscule number of members compared to the Bumiputera population of about 16 million, is losing grip on power after its ugly face was laid bare for all the world to see. The incompatibility of its position as a self-proclaimed defender of Islam, its naked affinity for corruption and willingness to use the ugly, outdated theme of racial superiority will spell its doom. The Malays will increasingly look to PAS as a viable alternative.  ¶ 7:53 PM