There is an interesting debate in respect of the Malaysian-ness of immigrant Malaysians in this forum. The candid and frank expression of views unheard of in the conventional media is perhaps symptomatic of long pent-up feelings unexpressed in the past for fear of persecution or some form of retribution. So thanks to the Internet.

From the discussion thus far, it is fair to conclude that there are still a ferment of racial prejudice, ethnic chauvinism, mistrust and suspicion among the multi-ethnic and multi-religious Malaysian population.

Presumably this resulted, rightly or wrongly, from a perceived infringement of the rights of the immigrant races in the course of advancing the socio-economic empowerment of the bumiputeras under the aegis of the New Economic Policy (NEP), now succeeded by the New Development Policy (NDP).

The theme of the NEP and NDP in essence is the eradication of the poverty and the doing away with the identification of race on the socio-economic hierarchy. Nobody in his or her rational mind would complain about this noble objective.

The problem arises in the narrow interpretation of and the over enthusiasm in the implementation of the policy to the detriment of the letters of the policy.

The government believes that the bumis, in effect, the Malays, need help in order to advance socio-economically, whereas the non-bumis - especially the Chinese - are better off such that they could survive on their own.

But the latter think there are a substantial number of poor Chinese too who need help yet are being denied. Hence the cause of misconception, therefore misunderstanding and even jealousy.

Whatever the side effects of the NEP, it did make a difference in the socio-economic outlook and the psyche of the bumiputeras. Institut Teknologi Mara (now Universiti Institut Teknologi Mara) and the rest of the government-owned universities since the birth of Malaysia have churned out hundreds of thousands of bumiputera graduates in various fields, professional and non-professional.

You can, of course, doubt the standard but this does not obviate the fact that the NEP did make a great difference.

As a result, the bumiputeras dominated the civil service, while a substantial portion ventured into the private sector. The children of these pool of bumiputeras will have a different worldview from their grandparents.

These children have access to modern amenities and good education. They will be more motivated and progressive in their outlook. They are no longer overawed by the children of big towkays being chauffeur driven to school because their parents too, may be professionals, doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects etc.

In a sense they have escaped the clutches of inferiority complex; because now, bumis have trail blazed into every shape and form of profession -a thing hitherto unknown in the past.

As to whether the bumis can withstand the competitiveness of the globalised world in the not-too-distant a future, well, it remains to be seen. But I think they are definitely improving by the day and becoming more motivated. Thanks to the NEP.

Mass emigration of the bumis? Well, it's possible. I know several bumis with PhDs overseas in the US, Hong Kong, Singapore and even Tanzania. At least one bumi is now is a tenured professor in the US with a PhD in statistics. Some of them obtained their PhDs from reputable universities in the UK and the US, e.g. Cornel.

But unfortunately, what ails the bumis is still inferiority complex. 'I am not good in Maths, Science, technical things, this and that.'

But things are changing, and changing fast. For those who are still lagging behind, the NEP is the crutch. Hopefully, once they are out of the woods, they can remove this crutch and give it to those in need.

There are, of course, people who argue that the NEP has created a subsidy mentality among the bumis. True, but I think the bumis are realising that it is in their interest to wean off as soon as possible. They might still have a poignant nostalgia for the NEP but to cling on to this crutch, I think they would rather not once they are successful.

Injustices might have been inflicted upon the non-bumis in the process of the implementation of the NEP, but no one system is perfect. Weighing every factor in the NEP equations, the plus factors outweigh the negative, albeit not overwhelmingly.

The migration of skillful people is always a loss. For those who are thinking of emigrating from Malaysia, I would ask them to reconsider. Good tidings may yet come.

But again, I would think it will not be a total loss altogether. People like Dr LF Ng would perhaps like to drop by on and off with his family just for a change; put up in good hotels and enjoy our Malaysian meals, perhaps kangkung belacan .

After a two- or three-day sojourn in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, he heads back home Down Under. By then, he would have spent a couple of thousands of ringgit. He is still helping our economy. Or if he is teaching undergraduate and postgraduate medical students in Australia, he is still contributing to the cause of Malaysia.

I know at least two bumi doctors there, one is in her last year of post-graduate training. The other one emigrated there about a decade ago after completing his compulsory service in Malaysia. Many bumis too have emigrated to Down Under and now own houses there.

Many could have been hurt by the NEP, but many, too, have been helped. If the NEP has helped the bumis, it has helped the non-bumis too, albeit in another way. Not being availed to the NEP has made the non-bumis more resourceful and hence more resilient to the vicissitudes of life.

There is more than one way of looking at any one situation but sadly people tend to look at the negative side rather than positive, the problem rather than the challenges, the despair rather than the opportunities.