I refer to the Malaysiakini report 'So, Chinese ungrateful or not?' and the comments therein.

While I agree with readers' call for fair treatment, I do not agree with the slightly chauvinistic ‘us-versus-them' reasoning for it. This is the antiquated way of thinking, and one that our politicians continually exploit for political mileage.

What do you suppose Dr Mahathir Mohamad's intentions were when he famously said 90% of tax omey comes from the non-Malays? It was meant to dig a bigger trench of resentment between all of us. I support equal and fair treatment of all Malaysians, and by extension, all people and animals as well.

Let me remind readers that apart from non-Malay contributions, the age of modern Malaysia is also built on the labour of foreign workers who endure great hardships for meagre pay.

They build the towers we work in, pave the roads we drive on, and serve our food. To speak of fairness for our own communities without considering fairness for them as well will makes us selfish and hypocritical.

Indeed, I find it strange that communities whose forefathers settled in Malaysia as labourers make such a point of fair treatment but say next to nothing on the plight of foreign workers now residing here. Some cannot endure being second class citizens, yet are blind to the suffering of third class citizens.

I believe that the only way for Malaysians to move forward is to stop thinking of themselves exclusively as being part of any one community, Malay or non-Malay, the one benefitting or the one being sidelined, and see things more universally.

It is unfortunate that in today's Malaysia, even though we live in the same country, we understand and appreciate so little of each other and we all seem to be fighting for our own causes.

Non-Malays speak of equal treatment, of being called Malaysian first, but I would like to ask non-Malay readers, how far would you go to uphold the identities of our nation?

Are non-Malays proud of the Malay language, the Malay sultanate, Malay culture and Islam as the official religion? One does not have to be Muslim to accept and appreciate Islam, or any other faith?

I think most non-Malays consider these as Malay issues and are unable to embrace them as national issues, when in fact, they give us our unique identity as a nation.

Because they've been so entrenched in a mindset of unfair treatment for so long, further isolated by the hostility of right-wing ultras who dominate local politics, non-Malays have come to reject these causes which rightfully, all Malaysian citizens ought to uphold.

Will it not be embarrassing if foreigners became more keen on saving and promoting local culture than some Malaysians? Are we waiting for another Bruno Manser to parachute in before we acknowledge we are doing nothing to understand our own countrymen?

Does being Malaysian just mean an equal space and opportunity for us to be ourselves? Or should it mean much more - that we can defend the beliefs and practices of our countrymen, and take on their causes as our very own?