Terompah Besi ( Umno stunts in London

) made some very good points albeit a little emotionally. However, I disagree very strongly when he says that Kelab Umno is political. Kelab Umno is not political and must not be seen as a political organisation.

Politics is the very foundation of human society. No nation can exist without sound political framework. And no society will develop if the people fail to recognise the importance of sound political calculations.

It is shameful that Barisan Nasional works hard to deny Malaysian citizens of our right to participate in the politics of our own country. Hence the ruling party's all-out effort to curb students' attempts to hone any political skill.

But regardless of what the BN is trying to do, participation in politics is a crucial component in our nation-building, and all, students included, must realise this.

It is o­n this important point - that politics is necessary for nation-building - that I disagree with Terompah Besi.

Kelab Umno is no more than a bunch of irrelevant people acting as slaves of desperate Umno and BN politicians. They have never done anything to help build Malaysia as progressive country.

But Kelab Umno members willingly sell whatever miniscule dignity that they have in order to promote the increasingly outdated ideas of their Umno masters.

Let us take the simple example of Kelab Umno members in Newcastle, United Kingdom, who will be organising an event called 'The Gig' o­n March 22. 'The Gig' is simply an event in which several bands get together and play their music to another bunch of Kelab Umno members.

In their advertisement, the Kelab Umno Newscastle state that "the event gives you the opportunity to...head-bang, body-surf and jump along with the crowd as you listen to the cream of Malaysia's UK-based bands".

Does this look like a nation-building exercise, or simply a wasteful activity by a bunch of people who do not know what else to do?

But I agree with Terompah Besi that these Kelab Umno members will probably not receive any warnings from their sponsors.

The sponsors o­nly grow concerned if students in the UK want to deepen their religious knowledge, or participate in real nation-building activities.

I challenge sponsors, the Malaysian Students Department in London and the Malaysian government, to take action against these Kelab Umno members who are organising and attending 'The Gig' or other similar events at the expense of taxpayers' money.

This is the time they can show us they really want students to become future leaders of Malaysia. Otherwise, their double standards become even more apparent.