A call for secular approach to politics

PETALING JAYA: Thanks or no thanks to it's long title, one might think that news portal columnist S. Thayaparan's maiden book is just another total anti-Barisan Nasional, pro-Pakatan Rakyat rant hoping to ride on the wave of anger the rakyat has felt towards the ruling coalition since the 2008 General Election. 

However, Thayaparan's No Country for Righteous Men and Other Essays in a Culture of Offendedness, is a book that should not be judged by its long cover as the retired Royal Malaysian Navy Commander calls a spade a spade, giving praise and criticism to both sides of the political divide, albeit with significantly more criticism of the worldview and policies of the Barisan Nasional government.