Over the past week or so, some newspapers in Malaysia have misreported that I told a BBC interview that "one in three Malaysians" are supportive of the US and UK-led war against the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. Based o­n that inaccurate report, some people, including good friends, have responded negatively and critically.

To set the record straight, I did not say "one in three Malaysians" are supportive of the war, as can be seen from the following transcript of the BBC interview:

script­:

So strong is the anti-war message from politicians and the media that few had spoken out publicly in support of the US and its allies.

Sync James Wong:

"Many people who support the war prefer not to speak out in public media for fear of offending their Muslim friends. As far as my personal opinion and contacts are concerned, o­ne in three person(s) I spoke to are privately supportive of the war."

script­:

But if that's the case, such views are certainly not shaping public opinion. Opposition to the war is being fueled by fear and an uncertain future.

As the invited o­nline commentator, I was expressing a personal opinion, which should be allowed in an open and democratic society. I certainly did not claim any statistical authority or mathematical accuracy; I was giving a personal impression. It is common sense that no personal impression is scientific.

There is still no independent and credible public opinion poll in Malaysia to indicate the magnitude of support or opposition to the war o­n Iraq.

Despite the fact that there are Malaysians who are not anti-war, or anti-anti-war or even pro-war (readily or reluctantly), the personal impression I expressed in the BBC interview still suggests that Malaysians who are anti-war are in the majority.

Also, while there are obviously many non-Muslims who are o­n the anti-war side of the divide, I have also, privately and publicly, heard pro-war opinions from some Muslims inside and outside Malaysia. Again, there is no independent and credible opinion poll in Malaysia to specifically quantify the size or magnitude of the different opinions or sentiments.

In any case, it is my firm opinion that while the majority and minority in any given public issue should respect each other, the majority must always be self-confident enough to provide enough democratic outlets for the articulation and expression of minority opinions.

It is also my firm opinion that showing differences in opinion o­n peace and war, as in all other public issues, is nothing to be ashamed of. O­n the contrary, the existence of divergent views o­n public issues show that Malaysia is a modern (and therefore complex), normal, mature and thinking society of human beings, not programmed and standardised robots.

Healthy and mutually respectful differences in opinion o­n public issues stimulate intellectual development and accelerate "psychological liberation" as envisaged in Vision 2020.