I refer to the article Paying the price for 'Ketuanan Melayu' folly .

Excellent piece, AB Sulaiman. As a retired academic and based on my teaching experience at Universiti Malaya, I attest to the truth of what the writer has so keenly observed.

My reaction? I would, however, not seek to hanker after 'the lost splendour in the grass'; but rather, much like Reid Butler in 'Gone with the Wind' would nonchalantly say, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn'.

Universiti Malaya is, after all, a mere state institution. So why do we then, in a world of unleashed global opportunities, continue to look towards government institutions to fulfill our educational needs and wants?

Of the top 50 universities that Sulaiman mentions, what proportions are state institutions, and what number are privately-run universities? I'd say if our public universities no longer serve any basic purpose or maximise their utility, then let's turn to private universities in pursuit of excellence.

Allow the top 50 universities of the world to set up branch campuses in the country. Let there be real competition in university education, as in everything else in our lives. Stop looking at the state to take care of us; look at other markets, everywhere, for our needs and wants.

Having spent my entire adult life with undergraduates till my retirement, I've known no other place other than Universiti Malaya. But then, apart from my nostalgia, what's left of that university today?