I refer to the letter I have never been a Muslim by JV.

I believe JV's case is a classic case for many Malaysian whose parents are converted Muslims. A few friends of mine converted to Islam for marriage and their children are automatically registered as Muslims. The same situation faced by JV may be faced by his or her kids later. Should they bottle up their feelings and wait for it to explode one day or continue to live on as Muslims but not understanding why?

Malaysia is going to celebrate her 50th year of independence soon. All children born in Malaysia should be Malaysian. Can these children be truly Malaysian? I believe they can if they are nurtured properly without prejudice. The stakes are tremendously high and the question is whether the current generation is willing to sacrifice towards a better pluralistic Malaysian society.

Way back in early 1960s when I was still a kid, we lived in a Malay kampung. The atmosphere then was very much different. I grew up there and later worked among the Malays and interacted with them for almost 30 years. There was no problem. The mutual respect was always there.

The government has a very critical role to play here. The future of Malaysia is in their hands. The future of Malaysia depends on the ruling government's determination to build a strong foundation for a plural society with members that trust each other wholeheartedly.

It is government responsibility to help the poor, irrespective of race, religion, bumiputera or non-bumiputera. Show the children that the government is without prejudice and they will grow up to be truly Malaysian with a more balanced, trusting mind. How long more are Malaysians going to be classified by race, religion and bumi or non-bumi?