I refer to Suku Sinappan's letter , 'Racial segregation in Star headline'.

I did see that headline , 'Indian athletes fail to make the mark for Vietnam Games', on The Star Saturday morning, and honestly thought it was referring to Indians from India, and just did not bother reading it. I have since read the article, and indeed I am surprised too, as the context of that article purports to suggest that Indian Malaysians have for the first time not made it to the national athletic team.

To give them the benefit of the doubt, I would like to think that the writer was writing both out of concern, as well as surprise and a tinge of disappointment that no Indians made it. The article did not seem to suggest any racial or racist put-downs.

By the same token, how I wish there were writers or editors who might have found it fit to have made the following headlines: "Two Indians Conquer Everest for Malaysia" (!). Perhaps it is only then that they become Malaysians! Or maybe this header instead: "Only one Indian makes it into MU's Medical Faculty". Or might that be a little too embarrassing?

I guess you can really never be absolutely right with this one. Either way you could please one but not another.

It was not so long ago that a morning talk show invited callers to complete the sentence "only in Malaysia...". I called in to tell the compere: "only in Malaysia I am required to call and see myself as Indian, Chinese or Malay. It is only when abroad am I seen, treated and called a Malaysian. And of course, I too feel and call myself a Malaysian then". (But I made the call when songs were still playing, so it was obviously not aired.)