I would like to voice my agreement with Eric Mudasi's letter on the national service programme. The aim of instilling loyalty and unity among our youngsters is going to fail miserably and will cost taxpayers RM500 million a year.

If serving the country for 26 years has caused Mudasi to lose whatever a patriotism he had when he enlisted, it would be plain ridiculous to expect a miracle to happen to our youngsters just by putting them together for three months.

I really respect Mudasi for having the guts to be so frank and say that he doesn't feel much for the country anymore. Before anyone begins to comment on this, perhaps all non-Malays and non-Muslim should be as brave, frank and sincere and ask ourselves whether we really feel that we belong here. I do not.

I am not a first, second or third generation migrant. In fact I have lost touch with how many generations my family have been here. We do not know which part of China our first ancestors came from.

Will anyone be able to instill any sense of patriotism and unity in my teenage son by forcing him into a camp together with children from other races?

I really doubt it. Having grown up among Malay friends, I am still marginalised. I cannot be blamed if my sense of frustration seeps through to my children. I doubt any duration of national service can alter that.