I refer to Abakjr's letter Championing the Malaysian race . As with many things that go wrong with government policy in this country, the idea behind the policy is always noble and attractive but its implementation leaves much to be desired.

The same goes with Abakjr's suggestion on championing of the Malaysian race. By having us all going to the same school and insisting that we all speak only Malay, does that also mean that true meritocracy will then be practised? Will the government only sponsor the best students in the country for tertiary studies in the best universities, regardless of race? Will local universities open its doors to all Malaysian students who have proven themselves worthy of a place in these universities and will they be allowed to pursue a course of their choice?

Will the civil service, armed forces, judiciary and the executive in general accept and promote a Malaysian purely according to merit? Will the government stop insisting that 30 percent of shares in a company be reserved for the bumiputra? Will the seven percent discount for bumiputra for the purchase of residential and other properties be scrapped?

As a Malaysian, I strongly believe that only when these things happen can we move forward together as a nation. It's not a question of what school we go to or even what language we use; it's about not being made to feel second class in your country of birth when you know that you deserve better.