I refer the malaysiakini report Mirzan not qualified to debunk equity study .

In retracting Asli's Centre for Public Policy Studies report on corporate wealth, Asli president Mirzan Mahathir said that "on re-examining the methodology and conclusions, Asli has concluded that there are shortcomings in assumption and calculation that led to conclusions that cannot be vigorously justified".

That may well be so, but in view of the serious implications of his retraction of the report, he should explain who it was that carried out the re-examination, and at such short notice too, to boot.

Furthermore when he said that "Asli has concluded that there are shortcomings," is he suggesting that the conclusion was arrived at by Asli's team of experts presumably after rigorous re-examination of the report? Or is it simply his personal view? Perhaps, other members of Asli's team would care to clarify?

He goes on to say that "all methodologies are at best good estimates of the true situation and ... should be as transparent as possible". Indeed, one could not agree more.

Hence, it is incumbent on him to explain clearly what exactly were the shortcomings in assumptions and calculations of the study. One would also have expected him to call for the same degree of transparency from the Economic Planning Unit of the government regarding their assumptions and calculations on how they arrived at their very different conclusion.

While it is commendable that "Asli deeply regrets the hurt and confusion felt by all Malaysians (caused by the centre's report)", he should remember that not all Malaysians share the same sentiments. Many are in fact hurt and confused, not by the centre's report, but by the cavalier manner in which he has retracted it with scant regard for the professional competence of one of Asli's top academic of high repute.

Mirzan does however make a profound observation when says that "this report and its reaction serve as a reminder of the unique qualities of our beloved nation" - though perhaps not in the way he meant it to be!