BELOW are excerpts from a letter by Mr Joe Fernandez titled Why Singapore Is Umno's Favourite Whipping Boy, published in online newspaper Malaysiakini.com on June 4.

He is a regular contributor to the Letters page of the much-read website.

'Lee Kuan Yew said recently the relationship between Malaysia and Singapore has not always been smooth sailing, and so investing in the Iskandar Development Region may not always be smooth sailing for Singaporean companies.

'This is simply a statement of fact that, nevertheless, appears to have gotten local Umno leaders into a tizzy.

'Of course, the relationship between Malaysia and Singapore is special because of the race relations issue.

'Every time the question of Singaporeans investing anywhere in Malaysia is brought up, there are inevitable cries of indignation by Umno wannabes performing a wayang kulit (shadow play) about Malaysia being exploited by its Chinese neighbour.

'This is a recurring knee-jerk reaction that defies logic, but the lesson here should be that one must never underestimate the effectiveness of relentlessly toxic racial and religious propaganda.

'Singapore has been the favourite whipping boy of the Umno-controlled Malay vernacular press for the last 50 years and, if anything, Singaporeans are seen as even bigger devils than the local Chinese and Indian citizens of Malaysia in the eyes of Malaysia's Malay Muslims.

'The fact is Singapore's development model has meant that Singapore's Malays are far better educated, far better paid, far more self-reliant, self-confident, and far better equipped to deal with globalisation than Malay Muslims in Malaysia.

'This makes the NEP (New Economic Policy), Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy), and the Malay Agenda look like failed racist apartheid policies that have impoverished everyone except Umno cronies.

'Of course, Umno must demonise Singapore to maintain the illusion that Umno politicians are nationalists and not parasites - and more so if Singapore happens to be richer, safer, better educated and meritocratic than Malaysia.

'Every time Singapore's First World achievements are compared with the sluggish economic, educational, professional, scientific, technological, competitiveness and social standards in apartheid Malaysia, there is the predictable frothing at the mouth, keris (Malay sword) waving and baying for blood in every Umno Club up and down the country in Malaysia.'