First of all, I agree that the use of the word ' keling ' is offensive to Indian Malaysians. It is not only a word frequently used in Malay, but also adapted by many Chinese dialects used with the same negative connotation towards Indian Malaysians.

I agree with Shanon Shah Bin Mohd Sidik that banning the use of the word and removal of the word from Kamus Dewan is not the answer.

The dictionary is not only an accumulation of words but a history book of language. It reflects to a certain degree the past and the present culture of the people of language.

So instead of proposing the removal of the word, educationist S Pasupathy should suggest to publisher Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka to redefine the word ' keling ' to reflect its historical origin and the Indian Malaysian's feeling of the word.

In addition, metaphorical examples on the use of the word should be removed from the dictionary because they are offensive to Indian Malaysians. Hopefully, what we can learn from the past will stop these racially offensive words from being used.

Finally efforts need to be in place in our education system and mass media to discourage the use of the word. The only sure way to stop the use of a word like ' keling ' is for Malaysians to fully understand that Indian Malaysians find offense with it.