Reading FN letter's Chinese M'sians must accept their lot would definitely give anyone the impression that Malaysia is an apartheid country. If FN agrees with this, then let Malaysians openly admit it. Actions in this country speak louder than words and as much as we would like to think that we are peaceful and living in harmony with each other, the underlying current of unrest is all prevalent.

Yes, Chinese Malaysians, and even more so Indian Malaysians, are really a marginalised lot. With the exception of Orang Asli, all of us, Malays, Chinese, Indians are immigrants. It does not matter who came first.

By democratic right, all Malaysians born here are sons of the soil irrespective of which race they belong to. We should all be Malaysians, not bumiputeras and non-bumiputeras. Why should one race always be given crutches?

If we believe in God and basic human values, then we should help all those in need irrespective of race. We should be fighting corruption which has become the culture of the day. We should use meritocracy as the yardstick for progress.

As long as we are in denial, there will be no real progress. As we become more of a global village, many Indian and Chinese Malaysians will work even harder and will succeed here in Malaysia, if not elsewhere. The Malay Malaysians, if they still need their crutches, will surely be left behind.