Dear Tun Musa Hitam,

My congratulations to you on being awarded the 'Tun' title. I think you deserve it. I remember back in the early days, many of us were skeptical about you when you ascended the office of deputy prime minister. Then, there was this belief going around that you were quite an extremist. And combined with Dr Mahathir Mohamad, we worried how bad this kind of far-right wing Malay ethno-nationalistic partnership would be for us - the next generation 'future leaders' of Malaysia! (ha!). I must say, however, you proved us wrong.

Although my memory fails me in detail, I remember the feeling how ably you handled, notably a certain crisis situation in Sabah. Quite statesman-like, I was telling myself. 'He is not the quite extremist we had been led to believe'. Unfortunately, however, to us - the general public watching in the gallery - your actions and decisions were overturned by the PM upon his return from overseas. Shocking. That's all we could say. A most ungentlemanly act and a regressive one at that indeed.

Today, I am pleased to write and say that we have been pleased to see you still actively fighting for and commenting on human rights and other important issues of the day concerning Malaysia and Malaysians, notwithstanding your 'semi-retirement' from politics. I am glad, in a manner of speaking, that you've stood firm unflinchingly in upholding certain universally honourable principles, some of which were also implicitly touched upon in a couple of my letters to The Star then back in 1982 (or was it 1983?).

That was the time when I congratulated you and Dr M on ascending to the highest office in the nation and wished you well in the fight against communism, gangsterism (then mainly non- Malays), as well as totalitarianism in terms of justice for the individual. Then, you ably argued against that in favour of interest of the group or community as befits our Asian heritage which I saw fit not to disagree.

In the past 22 years or more however, I note the country - not your fault - had slided into a sort of 'totalitarianism' system and reign of gangsterism of a different kind under your previous erstwhile partner Dr M. While I take note of some of the right things and good things done by Dr M, history, like me and many others like myself, would not, I think, judge favourably the overall legacy of Dr M. His ideology appears born of a conviction that seems to have part of its roots in racial hatred and racial jingoism even though there may indeed have been genuine underlying social concerns. But his way was not necessarily the only way.

As we well know today, we are the offspring of the same 'Eve' somewhere in Central Asia many millennia ago. Regrettably, we have not treated each other as of the same family. No statesman would govern the country so divisively in the manner as Dr M has done. My children are now second-class citizens and have been made wilfully to lose their self-esteem while another group is cocooned in welfarism.

It is perhaps time for the country to get back to civilisation and unite together as one people, as Malaysians and to give strength and honour to the right values based on love and courage. Not fear and hatred. The ideology of Dr M dragged us into unacceptable levels of corruption and cronyism which was not part of the deal between the electees and electorate. Indeed, if there had been truly a two-party system, I, as would have many others I am sure, would have voted out Dr M and voted in instead, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi or even Tengku Razaleigh's party then. I prefer real social democrats.

Anyway, time to move on. Congratulations again Tun Musa Hitam. It would probably not be right to end without saying Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Tan Koon Swan, and H'ng Hung Yung also deserves a hearty mention in their contribution to perhaps, a closing chapter in Malaysia's history.