In response to BlueRider's letter which clearly illustrates his arrogance, I urge all Malaysians, Malays and non-Malays alike, to be fair-minded always and not let your heart rule your head.

Malay special rights are indeed a sensitive issue. So is vernacular education for the non-Malays. However, over the years Malay special rights have been abused up to the extent that it brings frustration to the non-Malays.

On the other hand, sensitive issues to non-Malays, like vernacular education, have not affected the daily lives of any single Malay. Instead, it has benefitted the 60,000-odd Malay students who choose to study in vernacular schools that offer better discipline and effective education.

What do I mean by the abuse of special rights? For instance, the 5 percent bumiputera discount in the purchase of houses. Isn't the cheaper cost for the bumiputeras absorbed by non-bumiputeras? As a result, rich Malays buy houses at a discount while poor non-Malays buy houses at a higher price.

If that is not frustrating enough, consider a situation where your child who has scored excellent results been denied a place at a local university.

Every year, thousands of mosques and national schools are built all over the country. Yet, not even 10 (I assume) Chinese schools, Hindu temples or Christian churches are approved in a year. And now, we have people like BlueRider asking us to shut up for questioning our own rights.

Another example is, why do the Islamic party PAS insists in closing down the Genting casino? Does it in anyway affect the Malays/Muslims since they are forbidden from entering it?

Far from questioning your rights, Mr BlueRider, it is people like you who possess such a mentality that has resulted in the diminishing of non-Malay rights.

It's 2004 already. Though I personally think that Malay special rights will never be abolished, anyone who is fighting for such rights merely shows their ignorance of a new global reality.

In other parts of the world, all and sundry are asking for increased meritocracy, fairness and open-mindedness. We have more things to worry about than the non-existent threat of non-Malays questioning Malay special rights.

It is not as though such rights will be gone simply because people are talking about it. By and large, the non-Malay who attempts to do so is likely to be detained under the Internal Security Act for disrupting national security.

BlueRider is obviously a lucky man. Probably he should start trying to fit into other people's shoes and see how it is like to be in other people's situation.