I feel that many who made the statement that Malays are marginalised in Singapore don't really know their facts well. I lived in Singapore for the past few years and truth be told, Singapore is strictly a country based on meritocracy and nothing else.

I hope that those who said that the Malays are marginalised in Singapore can clarify their definition of 'marginalised'. From what I have read, it seemed that those who claimed so, are of the opinion that they (Malay Singaporeans) don't seemed to be doing as well as the other races in Singapore and their importance are not being stressed enough. There are two examples that I wish to shed light on but the list is not, by all means, exhaustive.

First, I would like to address the issue of Malays not doing as well as the other races in Singapore. On the contrary, I've seen Malays who did well. Singapore is a country based purely on meritocracy. If you're good enough, you can succeed irregardless of your race.

There are no special preference given to any of the race. If, by not having the whole race being so successful is deemed as 'marginalised'; in that case, all races are marginalised in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. In any race, there'll undoubtedly be an affluent minority and the middle-class majority.

Secondly, regarding the emphasis on only Chinese and English languages, I would like to clarify that it is not true at all. If that is the case, then why don't we see Malays, or more precisely non-Chinese in Singapore speaking fluent Chinese? In fact, it is made compulsory for all students to learn their respective mother tongue be it Malay, Chinese, Tamil, etc.

Admittedly though, the quality of mother-tongue in Malaysia is higher, even in Chinese or other languages. But then again, I think it is sufficient to be able to write and speak our mother-tongue so that we can pass it on to our future generations.

Also, vernacular schools are abolished to give way to national schools to foster national unity so that all races can identify each other as fellow Singaporeans rather than as Malays, Chinese, Indians, etc. Values must be inculcated since young as the Malay saying goes, "Melentur buluh, biar dari rebungnya."

As such, I hope that my opinion will not be seen as promoting Singapore. Like any other countries, Singapore too has its own share of problems. Far from wanting to incite any racial sentiments, I hope to clarify the real situation in Singapore so as to assuage the grievances of the offended parties.

It is very sad that some highly educated individuals who hold high esteem in society should make such insensitive remark to threaten the harmony and peace we have tried to preserve since Merdeka.

Aren't we taught from young to identify one another as fellow citizens rather than our respective races? It is magnanimous to take a step back and reserve certain opinions to oneself for the good of the people rather than to pursue some selfish agenda. With reference to Lee Kuan Yew's statement, why should we be bothered by the statement made by someone who is not even one of us if we felt that it isn't true?

I have always been a proud Malaysian and still is. I hope that the rest will share the same sentiment as me, more so in this era of globalisation, where there'll be even more challenges to come to develop our country. As the Malay proverb goes, 'Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai kita roboh.' I believe that if everyone share the same notion, then our Vision 2020 will not be too far-fetched.

Malaysia Boleh!