Najib apologised.

This is the first time for a political party established on racial lines to apologise for some racist remarks.

Utusan Malaysia, a Malay daily known for its strong racist stance, gave Najib's apology a very simple and brief treatment. I flipped the newspapers three times before I could locate this piece of news at an inconspicuous corner.

Some pro-UMNO websites even bemoaned for the incident, with many arguing that Ahmad Ismail was defending the Malay sovereignty, and it wasn't wrong for him to speak for the Malays.

Nevertheless, to all Malaysians with properly functioning brains, what is wrong is wrong. No citizens can tell another citizen that he is a migrant lodger, and is therefore not entitled to the equal rights.

If such fallacious remarks and concepts are left unrectified, this country will not be able to discern between what is right and what is not, and its society will continue to go down the path of disintegration.

Najib has said what he should have said, and done what is right.

Perhaps some of the more extreme members within the party do not agree with him making the apology, he can nevertheless take this opportunity to tell the extreme rightists within the party that it is now time to put a lid on Malay nationalism, and time for UMNO to review its racist stand.

Only this way can Najib truly establish his leadership position.

Having said that, Najib's apology should not mark the end of everything.

Some of my more critical friends have said that for one thing, Najib's apology came a little too late, and for another, the apology has not come from the person who should have apologised.

If UMNO had immediately demanded that Ahamd Ismail withdraw his remarks and apologise, perhaps the whole incident could have come to a conclusion very soon.

But day after day, we were waiting for the response from Ahmad and UMNO.

As a result, the people's dissatisfaction has snowballed, and the normally passive MCA and Gerakan have started to show their positive sides.

On the one hand, perhaps their party elections are drawing near, and this offers a unique opportunity for elite leaders within the parties to perform. On the other hand, this is also a critical moment for Chinese-based political parties within the ruling coalition. If they continue to be inert, their representation and values of existence may be at stake.

UMNO is forced into a dilemma right at this moment.

The aggressive response from its allies actually serves as an SOS signal. If the high profile response from MCA and Gerakan has not met with certain degree of submission from UMNO, the Chinese and Indian communities in this country will be utterly disappointed, and MCA and Gerakan will siffer further marginalisation.

However, if UMNO admits its mistakes and apologises, there is fear that the party will deviate from the racial lines as well as Malay sovereignty discourse that it has been upholding so persistently.

Moreover, UMNO is in the midst of preparing for the upcoming party elections. Divisional leaders like Ahmad Ismail are people who are in control of a chunk of delegate votes. If this group of people are offended, the support from them may dissipate.

UMNO in the end chooses to stoop down and apologise in order not to allow the crack within BN to deepen.

Allowing Najib to do the job of saying sorry, because Najib still has powerful influences in the party, and is still able to hold up the party. The effects will be much better than if Abdullah were to apologise on behalf of the party. Having said that, the late response from UMNO still fails to heal the wounds which have been inflicted upon the Chinese community.

Meanwhile, the person in question, Ahamd Ismail, still owes Malaysians an apology. This should be an apology directed not only to the Chinese, but all Malaysians.

Apology is but an attitude. Where politics is concerned, UMNO must still take disciplinary actions against Ahmad in a bid to salvage the party's image while restoring the integrity of BN.

Of course, if BN has learned a lesson from the March general elections and the more recent by-election in Permatang Pauh, then this incident offers an excellent opportunity for it to reinvent itself. (By TAY TIAN YAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)