I would urge Umno Youth information chief Azimi Daim and his colleagues to focus their brainpower on the problems that confront Malaysia, instead of concentrating on a letter to malaysiakini which put forward supposedly unpalatable views (unpalatable, that is, to Umno Youth).

Where to begin? Let me enumerate the key problems as I see them:

Azimi would no doubt have seen press reports that in 2002, Singapore managed to attract around S$9 billion (RM18 billion) in manufacturing investments, plus chalking up S$2.08 billion (RM4.16 billion) in services sector spending. In 2003, Singapore is expecting S$8 billion (RM16 billion) in manufacturing investments in the face of competition from China and India.

Malaysia's performance in 2002 in attracting foreign direct investment is dismal — the figure is expected to be only around RM5 billion in manufacturing investments. Has Umno Youth ever bothered to find out why Singapore is doing so much better than Malaysia in attracting FDI (and with it, highly-paid jobs)?

The relative positions of Malaysia and Singapore in international competitiveness rankings and the fact that Singapore is way ahead of Malaysia in any competitiveness comparison you can think of. Also, more than 3,000 foreign companies have set up operations in Singapore, and in many cases, chosen to put their regional or Asian headquarters in the republic.

The quality of Singapore's manpower, infrastructure, legal and education systems, plus openness to foreign talent are cited as factors why foreign companies make a beeline for the republic when wanting to do business in the region. Has Umno Youth ever given any thought as to how Malaysia could improve its international competitiveness?

The skills brain-drain from Malaysia since the implementation of the NEP in the 1970s. Media reports indicate that around 250,000 skilled Malaysians are working outside Malaysia, and that the great majority of them have no desire to return to Malaysia and bring their skills (and money) back with them. Why?

Contrast this with the Chinese and Indian diaspora who are showing an increasing eagerness either to return or to invest in China and India respectively? Has Umno Youth thought why so many Malaysians got so fed up with the way things were going in Malaysia that they pulled up roots and left for more welcoming foreign lands?

Increased racial polarisation in Malaysian schools, universities and the work place. Has Umno Youth any ideas of how this can be rectified, if not reversed?

The significant lack of non-Malays in the civil service, the armed forces and the police, the education sector and the judiciary (especially at the top levels). Has Umno Youth ever bothered to find out the reasons for their under-representation in these fields?

Consider, for example, how much it would have meant if qualified, not race-based nor crony-type, people were picked to lead the national conglomerates or to supervise the re-structuring of ailing ones? Or even if the secretariat and communications teams of the NEAC had a better representation of Indian and Chinese Malaysians?

The international rankings of Malaysian universities. Has Umno Youth any ideas as to why Malaysian universities rank significantly below universities in Singapore in international assessments? And why foreign investors have complained repeatedly about the quality of graduates from Malaysian colleges and universities?

It cannot have escaped the attention of Umno Youth that Singapore is busily engaged in re-structuring and re-making its economy and way of life to make the country more relevant in an era of globalisation and talent mobility.

In contrast, Malaysia is still mired in racial politics and Umno Youth is still focused on maintaining Malay supremacy. What Umno Youth has failed to realise is that concepts such as Malay supremacy and a Bahasa Melayu-based education system mean little to foreign investors in a globalised world, especially post-Sept 11, and that Malaysia is in danger of becoming irrelevant in a world where premium is placed on talent, skills, education, creativity and to the quality of a country's infrastructure and institutions.

It is really a pity that so much focus has to be placed on Singapore, but the republic must be doing something right to keep attracting foreign investments at the levels that have been reported. The tragedy is that Malaysia could be doing a lot more to welcome foreign investment and foreign talent, while at the same time to make all its citizens feel welcome and appreciated in their own country of birth or settlement. Now that's a goal that Umno Youth should aspire to. That would be in keeping with the thinking and ideals of Umno's founding fathers, who surely would have welcomed a Malaysia build on inclusiveness instead of exclusivity based on race.

So, how about it, Umno Youth?