I refer to the Malaysiakini report Gov't offers to help minority Malays in other countries .

At a time when our own minority races at home are suffering from poverty and neglect with the Indians forced to demonstrate on the streets of KL under the banner of Hindraf, it is highly regrettable that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has offered to help outsiders, some of whom may not need Malaysia’s help at all.

Najib’s sole reason for offering Malaysia’s help is purely on racial grounds and thus his priorities are misplaced. Najib should realise that this gesture would do him more harm than good in the international community

There is a nagging cry for help from among the poor of all races at home whether they be Orang Aslis, Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazans, Portuguese or others. Najib should offer to help them first, and not ‘outsiders’ who happen to share the same skin colour as the Malays.

Some of these people whom Najib has offered to help - like the Singaporean Malays - do not need such help at all as they are doing well, relative to our own Malays at home.

Najib does not realise it, but he is in danger of sending the wrong signals to the host countries of these Malay minorities, namely that they are marginalising their Malay minorities who are in need of help which Malaysia is going to provide.

Whether this perception is true or not is none of Najib’s and Malaysia’s business. These host countries, whether they be Thailand, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka or Philippines, should not be blamed if they resent Najib for interfering in their internal affairs.

At another level, Najib should ponder carefully the other consequences such as how Malaysia would feel if China, India or Thailand were to make similar offers of help to the Chinese, Indians and Thais respectively in Malaysia.

In such an event, anyone would be right in saying that U,mo Youth would demonstrate with their keris in front of the embassies of these countries

There is the adage that says charity begins at home but obviously Najib and Umno do not believe in it for the simple reason that those in this country that are in need are of a different skin colour.

Instead, by offering to help minorities in other countries based on such flimsy grounds as being of the same race, Najib continues to expose himself and Umno as racists at a time when borders everywhere are breaking down with the world becoming a global village.

Malaysia’s image abroad is already bad what with its human rights abuses under ISA. Najib should help to improve our image instead of making it worse by this proposal which is based on crass racism and nothing else.