Around the world today, conflicts in the planet’s most violent spots are rooted in race and ethnicity.

The discord is sown by narrow-minded politicians who are fuelled by support within race-based structures that capitalize on ethnic sensitivities and demands.

These groups generally focus on the divisive and discriminatory while ignoring the development of a cohesive society.

The plans of Weiping Chen of Richmond, BC are noble in concept but pave the way for dangerous ethnic autonomies, which will only attract the alienated, prejudiced and mutinous as their leaders.

Chen, who hails from Beijing, is a relative newcomer to Canada. He has been here for eight years and works as a real estate agent.

He is one of four founders of the newly-minted National Alliance Party which wants to “create better living and working conditions for immigrants and raising the profile of all Chinese living overseas.”

This group is being touted as the first party formed in Canada based on ethnicity – a volatile nadir on our political landscape.

At a press conference to unveil the party, Chen said in Mandarin that his party was not only about jobs for new immigrants, but will also address the lack of support that immigrants feel they are getting from government.

Another one of the founders of this political Pandora’s Box is Locan Wang, a business student at Simon Fraser University who came from China four years ago.

He feels the new party will give the young a platform to get engaged in the political process.

If these are the salient objectives of the ambiguous National Alliance Party, they can and should be achieved within the current political framework.

Most immigrants leave their country for Canada because of political instability that has led to economic disparity.

From South Asia to China to Europe, many come here to flee legislated discrimination founded by ethnically charged political entities.

So why would anyone want to replicate a system that has caused chaos and misery elsewhere?

Some say it is just a mechanism to advance the interests of the minority group within the establishment. You know, the squeaky wheel gets the grease thing.

Others quantify the move in more sinister projections, involving the national interests of foreign governments.

The key here for all Canadians to remember is ethnically-based political parties - never mind their genesis – rely only on voters’ ethnic loyalties.

They tend to be judged by what they achieve for the ethnic group they represent.

Hence, this kind of political animal is relatively immune from voter punishment for poor performance, lack of accountability or corruption.

Some of us are weary of the bickering between the Liberals, the Conservatives and the NDP. We are tired of their partisan battles.

But we must understand that these conflicts are the essence of an open and vibrant democracy.

Transpose these political kerfuffles into an arena littered with narrow race-defined political parties and it won’t be long before we have full fledged ethnic conflicts dominating Parliament Hill!

If Weiping Chen and his band of political princelings are serious about making a change for the betterment of new Canadians, they should develop a party based on ideology and policy rather than personality or ethnicity.

They should not encourage immigrants, particularly new ones, to stand apart from the majority of Canadians.

Canada’s future depends on the commitments of all its citizens to a unified Canadian identity.