The issue of migration of people tenaciously lingers on up to now despite it having been debated for quite a while. It seems it tugs poignantly at the hearts of a certain segment of our society, albeit some are for it while others against.

Both sides have stated their points. Some are bitter and recall their experience in Malaysia with rancour. I take the middle of the road and sympathise with both parties.

Cambridge-educated Dr LF Ng knows very well that each disease or syndrome has a particular symptomatology. So is the sense of frustration, 'good riddance' mentality, Ah Chong-robs-Ali, you-have-no-right-to-be-here perception; it is symptomatic of the disease in our society, which is deeply rooted in our history.

This bottled-up feelings came to a boil in the 1969 incidence, which gave rise to the NEP. Whilst the Malay cannot claim to be the original people of Malaya, their centuries of abode in the Malay peninsula definitely entitles them to the status of bumiputera and the land theirs.

The Malays, not unlike their bumiputera cousins in the rest of Southeast Asia, are mild people courtesy of the genial environment in which they were nurtured. There was not much of natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, famine, internecine wars to make them tough, aggressive, gung-ho and go-getter types.

This character is hardly needed in a land of aplenty, where seeds could germinate even if thrown anywhere. Besides there was hardly any formal education before the beginning of the 18th century, which could have given them better perspective about life in terms of socioeconomic and political development.

The colonial masters were more interested in exploiting economic potential of the land. Social aspects, if any, were only a camouflage for more natural resources exploitation rather than a genuine altruistic desire on their part to improve the socioeconomic well-being of the Malays.

The Chinese who migrated to Malaya then were the hardy type; they had gone through the mill. For eons they have been through disasters, both natural and man-made, yet came out of it, albeit with many perishing.

They had enough lessons about life when they came. They knew how to trade; they had business know-how and had better perspective about the future besides being very enterprising.

Therefore it is obvious they had monopoly of the business enterprises here no sooner after they had arrived. Almost every aspect of the economy of the Malay Peninsula was under their control. The priciest land in the towns were owned by them.

The British encouraged this because it made business sense; they could collect taxes from them.

After a while, the Malays saw the economic gap between them and the Chinese widened. The Chinese socioeconomic status improved tremendously whereas they remained where they were, poor fishermen and peasants.

The Malay leaders saw that the only way their destiny could improve was through political power with ultimate aim of independence for Malaya. Malaya was lucky in a sense because independence was achieved through peaceful means unlike in other countries such as Indonesia.

At independence hundreds of thousands of Chinese and Indians domiciled in Malaya were stateless. Some of them, of course, left for other countries like Britain, Australia or Canada.

Those who remained in Malaya could become Malaysians provided they subscribed to the reality that the Malays had special rights, which the non-Malays could not question and enjoy despite the granting of citizenship; but which the non-Malays believed they should (enjoy) by virtue of their being citizens of this country. This is effectively what the Malay politicians refer to as the social contract.

The aftermath of the May 13, 1969 riots had given birth to more drastic definition of these rights, such as quota entries into local universities, award of business licences, contracts, scholarships, etc.

The Malays and bumiputeras see this as their legitimate rights, whereas their non-Malay and non-bumiputera Chinese counterparts consider it as further erosion of their rights as bona fide citizens of this country.

The so-called harmony among the races in Malaya is at best superficial, camouflaged as much by ostentation, whilst the seed of resentment and inter-communal tension is ever glowing, because the root cause has plenty of fodder to feed on.

I could understand why people like Ng had migrated Down Under, after all, it's nice down there; Perth is especially peaceful as for now. Hopefully al-Qaeda won't set up a cell there.

If we go deeper into the psychology of this issue, I think the denominator of it all is fear. The Malays are fearful that they would one day become irrelevant in their own Tanah Melayu, which they generically believe as theirs.

Whereas the Chinese harbour a fear that whatever gossamer of rights they have would be further eroded, and at worst, eliminated altogether, This is compounded by the fact that they do not have the political wherewithal to bargain with.

Rather than blaming everyone else except us, we should practise what I call self-introspection. Examine and dissect yourself to the core, not unlike peeling the layers of an onion until you reach its core, there you will find yourself, where you are in space and time and you will see perspective, relationships, equanimity, and most of all, expanded consciousness.

There were once many people from Sabah who migrated to Australia. Most of them are very successful today. Now they are repaying back Sabah in kind. They promote Sabah to their Australian counterparts as a tourist destination, especially after the Bali bombing.

Now we have tourists from Down Under by the plane loads. I was told that they have to book three months in advance to get a seat to Kota Kinabalu. I know Ng doesn't have pleasant memories of Sabah as he has of Sarawak, but he still could promote Malaysia in whatever way he can.

Immigration and emigration are part of the dynamics of an evolving society. People will continue to migrate from time to time. Look at the positive side of it all. Who knows I, or my children might migrate to China! It's a nice place after all. I've been there twice.