I read with interest HJ Angus' letter on how the National Service cannot be a quick fix. Well said, Angus. I share a similar opinion to his, and stand firm that no amount of national service, campaigns, social projects, media advertisement and other what nots can instil racial integration when the fundamental policies of the nation are not conducive for integration.

Children today are much more mature than their parents were at their age. They see things and learn much earlier. At seventeen or eighteen years of age, they have seen, heard and experienced enough to form their own opinion about their race and the other races that "live so harmoniously side by side."

Kids of those days may have innocently played together but two generations later, as far as their grandchildren are concerned, I doubt they will be playing together now. Let's have a little scenario here.

Possibly, one might be the grandchild of an estate labourer, whose father was a factory worker and this child grows up to be a gangster. On the other hand, since the other friend was 'special,' (read bumiputra) he is now a Tan Sri, retired chairman of some company which was actually built up by the sweat of others.

His son is now an upcoming businessman, meaning that he has started a company, reaped the numerous fruits of his 'special' status and the grandchild is now studying in an international school because the kid should have international exposure.

The point I am trying to make here is simple. To have true racial integration, all races must have mutual respect for each other. Oppression, in even its mildest form, can only bring about ill- feeling, anger and hate.

As Angus pointed out in his letter, an Indian student with a rubber-tapper father should take precedence over a Malay student whose father is a millionaire. Affirmative action policies should be streamlined to effectively assist the needy regardless of race.

Education and business opportunities should be based on merit. Any one losing out should be nurtured to accept the challenge and rise to the occasion instead of just sitting there, feeling sorry for themselves because they are losing out and then demand special treatment.

Then, and only then will there be true racial harmony. Not by sending kids to camps where their safety is in question. In fact, as White Elephant Watcher pointed out, the National Service appears to be nothing but a wallet-thickening exercise in which, like in everything else, some 'special' cronies get all the contracts and perform way below par.

How ironical that someone smells crony-ism in the very effort put forward to create unity. How uniquely Malaysian.