Despite retaining his belief that the general Malaysian public is not buying into the ramped up racial tone in the national political discourse, author and former navy commander S Thayaparan believes that even a small pocket of people inciting trouble can cause an ugly flare-up.

In his first book, the retired Royal Malaysian Navy commander - who has also been an active writer with strong views on politics and community over the past three years - warned that a group, however small, can "cause very serious problems in the country".