Many years ago, after a race riot, a young Malaysian wrote a letter addressed to the prime minister. The letter began with the following lines: "Your opinions were based on stories you heard from people who surround you, and who tell you what they think you like to hear or should hear. Permit me to tell you what the position, the thoughts and opinions of the people are really, so you can understand my motive..."

This same young man then championed the cause of his 'race'. He was successful, gathering strength from like-minded young men. He did not agree with the 'social contract' conceived during Merdeka and implemented by the Alliance government.

He had this to say to the prime minister: "Your 'give and take' policy gives the Chinese everything they ask for. The climax was the commuting of the death sentence (13 young men

had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment when Tunku Abdul Rahman intervened in 1968), which made the majority of the Malays angry. The Chinese on the other hand regarded you and the Alliance government as cowards and weaklings who could be pushed around."

This letter, written with a clear conscience and great conviction, was the catalyst that resulted in the resignation of the prime minister. Out with the PM was the consensus-style working partnership of the Alliance. A new social contract came into play. One where Umno became the dominant partner in the newly-minted Barisan Nasional.

Of course, the young man suffered consequences. He was dismissed from his party but he emerged a great champion of his 'race'. The new political tradition, the new social contract, was not fully implemented until he himself became prime minister.

At first, he was very liberal. He was after all a pragmatist. He truly wanted to improve his 'race' and hoped that one day, they would no longer need special assistance. He believed in all the fashionable economic theories of the day. He literally gave the national anthem a new faster beat.

That young man is now older. He is still full of conviction that his assessment of the country is correct. Sometimes, when one looks around and see Chinese Malaysians who refuse to use the national language or use it begrudgingly, one cannot fail but agree with the old man.

But let us stop and think a while. Why is it that we are in this state? If the BN is a mechanism to tame ethnic bigotry, a chamber where 'leaders' can discuss and make decisions on behalf of the rest of us, why has Malaysian unity been so elusive?

The old man recently provided us with the answer. The BN, by its very structure, may have given us 'peace' but does not encourage national integration. If anything, it is keeping us all apart. Ethnic-based parties cannot help but protect their own turf, making Malaysian unity impossible.

The old man says that this is all voluntary. That may be true for him but like a young man once said: "Your opinions were based on stories you heard from people who surround you, and who tell you what they think you like to hear or should hear. Permit me to tell you what the position, the thoughts and opinions of the people are really, so you can understand my motive..."

What you read may not be what you want to know but Malaysians have come a long way since 1969. Partly, we have you to thank. You may not realise it but some of us have learned to use the national language with great pride. We may have found the SPM and STPM papers challenging but we have done very well by Malaysia.

We are proud to be Malaysian even though some of our brethren call us names like "squatters". We do not respond because we are no longer insecure. We know we belong and we know that such things were said in the heat of the moment or for political mileage.

After all, it was you who told us that 'Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa ', to be 'Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah' , to look forward to Wawasan 2020 . Surely, you can give us some credit. Yes, those Chinese people who do not speak Bahasa Malaysia with pride should be ashamed of themselves. But who will tell them that?

The MCA certainly will not and Gerakan conducts many of its meetings in Mandarin. Umno cannot because then, as the police and army has warned, racial tension will occur. Perhaps, such irrational behaviour happens only within the BN, whose race-based parties cannot resist the traditional game of one-up-manship.

No, only a truly Malaysian party can inspire ethnic groups to mingle, to break down the walls that the BN holds up. So allow me to echo the conviction of a young man speaking up for his 'race', except I am speaking up for my nation:

"The BN's 'divide and rule' policy takes away from Malaysians everything they ask for. The climax was the sodomy trial of Anwar Ibrahim, which made the majority of Malaysians angry. Using the ISA on Teresa Kok, Raja Petra and Tan Cheng Hoon has made things worse. Many Malaysians now regard the BN as tyrants and bullies who push us around.

"I think change is difficult to accept. I pray to God it will open your heart to accept the truth, bitter though it may be".