Knowing how certain quarters will bend over to please Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, I wish to point out certain misinformation especially on minority education in the recent 'patriotism conference' and in RTM's flagrant propaganda on Chinese chauvinism (which is utterly shameful).

For starters, it is not true that most other countries insist on assimilation. Not only is this not true for much of the Western world but it is also not true for many Asian countries like Thailand, Philippines, India etc. Even in Indonesia where forced assimilation took place under Suharto, the situation has changed.

If there is any assimilation, it is mostly by choice. In countries like Thailand and Philippines, the assimilation by Indians and Chinese has been very natural. Even with Muslims groups that insist on separation, there is no insistence on assimilation and the governments go out of their way to accommodate them allowing autonomy, providing funding etc.

As for minority education, many countries especially the US treat it with more respect. Mahathir's claim that no other country funds minority education is just false. Not only are people free to set up schools in any way they wish, funding is available not only from the government but also from private sources.

In the US, laws actually make it compulsory for schools to provide education in minority languages if there is enough demand and most Americans support them wholeheartedly, even participating in them.

The ways schools are funded defer from one country to another but the main thing is that there are no restrictions like in Malaysia.

I find it shameful that Mahathir could make such charges against other countries consider that our human rights record pales even compared to other Asean countries.

In Singapore, the government not only provide funding for minority education including madrasah , it provide matching funding for the building of mosque, Indian temples, etc.

With the possible exception of Indonesia, all other Asean countries treat their minorities better than Malaysia does. Even in Indonesia, the discrimination against minorities does not extend to economics and employment.