In reply to Hantuimc's claim of racism as a hospital doctor in the UK, I beg to differ on the issue.

As a British-trained medical graduate, I am now working in a teaching hospital similar to the one stated by Dr Avicenna . I have been appointed to all the jobs that I have applied for without any problems provided that I promise to carry out my job as I was trained to do.

In other words, I have been given the chance to succeed based on my academic merit and not on my skin colour. Could the Malaysian medical system provide a similar benchmark for their trainees?

And as far I know, I do not get any preference whatsoever compared to my local, so-called 'white friends'. They all had to go through the same rigorous job-screening to make sure that the person selected is well-trained and suited to the job's specification prior to appointment.

Hantuimc pointed out in his letter that if he ever returns to Malaysia, it would be for the reason that he wants his children be brought up in a society where religion and family values are still a priority.

I assume that he is suggesting that if he were to raise his kids up in the UK, they will be less inclined to take care of him when he grows old. Surely, that's not the only reason why children are being brought into this world in the first place?

I have never come across anyone (be it English, Malay, Chinese, Asian etc.) in the modern world who does not value the role of religion and family values for these are definitely everyone's priorities when it comes to bringing up their children in any part of the world.

Last but not least, having read through the whole length of Hantuimc's letter, I cannot help but think that perhaps he was never really meant to leave his home country in the first place. For instance, in his first paragraph, there was the romanticised portrayal of his childhood.

The fact that he now resides in UK, and that its environment does not provide him the home comfort that he was used to as a child, makes him resent the people and the place he now lives in.

If that is the case, I don't think that anywhere else would give this author the true satisfaction of a leading a meaningful life. Maybe he should not have left Malaysia in the first place and perhaps should have continued to live a life his past generations once endured.