I read with great interest Part 1 of the enlightening article by M Bakri Musa and look forward to Part 2.

With respect, may I suggest that Bakri's suggestion that "Malaysia has an aggressive affirmative action in the form of rigid quotas and special set-aside programs not o­nly in education but also in the rest of the public sector. The private sector is free from such encumbrances," is incorrect.

Since the advent of the New Economic Policy in 1971, such encumbrances have encroached and become firmly entrenched in every facet of Malaysian life, to the detriment of our nation and economy as a whole.

I am sure o­ne day in the future, we will eventually confront the cost and damage such policies would cause to the nation. For the moment, I guess Malaysians have to content with the attitude of 'making hay while the sun shines', to do what is in o­ne's own interest since the system is unlikely to change anytime soon!