First, it was Sukarno and his Confrontation but we were able to avert a major problem probably because of the British and Australian presence.

Then, the problem of Indonesian illegal immigrants started with a whole range of repercussions. We lost the peace of our homes and neighbourhoods not to mention with our safety being threatened because of house break-ins, assaults and murders committed by people speaking Malay but were definitely not Malaysians.

We became frightened even to lock our doors and go on a holiday, for the simple reason that when you returned home, there would be no guarantee that your house would the same as you had left it.

Fights between rival groups, often with bloodshed, have also become a regular event. These rivalries are carried right over from their motherland to be settled here, in our neighbourhoods.

We had this in our country only when the Ghee Hins and the Hai Sans were trying to settle scores but that - for us - is already history.

Our health status which saw tuberculosis almost becoming rare is reversed with the disease on the rise again. Most of the afflicted ones are not Malaysians and it's a mystery though how these people could have passed through the health screens in their own country.

The pockets of green lungs which we have been trying hard to preserve have not been left alone. Illegal squatter settlements have sprung up in many of these areas at the expense of the local residents.

And now, this problem of the haze has become an annual affair soaring in severity day by day and multiplying the health hazards faced by we Malaysians. I don't think we deserve this in any way but all the Indonesian government can do is just say 'sorry'- something we have heard quite often.

Are we that spineless as to not even condemn or reprimand the Indonesians for the problems which they are giving our country? Are we that impotent or lacking virility or our skins as thick as the hides of three old cows?

All we can say, without an iota of dignity, is that we will send our guys to help put out their forest fires. Whether the Indonesian government is doing anything about these hot spots in their country is a big question.

I wouldn't be surprised if they have not lifted even a little finger to contain the fires and these hot spots.