I applaud Senior Citizen's letter, Dr M exploited taxpayers , on how our former prime minister exploited the wealth of this country to build instant bumiputera business tycoons and billionaires.

In his 22 years of prime ministership, he has build on the racism in this country where people still whisper about it but are afraid to talk openly and confidently about it. It has affected the millions of citizens who are the minority in this country. This country does not respect the minority the Indians, the Chinese, the Orang Asli, the Orang Asal, the Portuguese community and many others.

Let me illustrate. The recent suicide of M Sangita with her three children, who stood in front of an express train to escape the torture, the fights and nagging from her unemployed husband whom she had fights with for over a month. This is a clear example of an disadvantaged Indian family in Malaysia and there are many which are unemployed, illiterate, displaced (moved from the estates to cities without any savings), criminally inclined (40 percent of prisoners in Malaysia are Indians), alcoholics and basically eking a living on the fringes of society.

We have a society which does not want to listen, speak or even talk to them. The Kg Medan issue was a clear case where Indians died and the authorities refused to act justly. There have been many good souls out there who have tried very hard to assist the Indians to come out of their poverty since the 70s.

As far as I know, and we have found that it's impossible for just a few groups to do that unless there is a political will for these minority groups to escape poverty.

Because of the very one-sidedness of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and a government comprising racially-based political parties, we can never achieve an equitable society. We advertise heavily that we are a multi-racial society but we all know (but are afraid to say it) that it is not.

Our own education system is not fair. It's not fair in the promotions in the civil service. It's not fair for business licencing. It's not fair in the provision of social services. Why was Sangita's husband unemployed? Why didn't Sangita have more options open to her? This is the life story of the poor minority in my country.

When will the government listen to them? Only when Dr Mahathir Mohamad starts attacking the government of the day?