I refer to the letter The dilemma of Chinese, Indian parents .

I fully sympathise with Dr Hsu's friend regarding the non-bumiputera's dilemma in having their children being forced to stay away from home. My parents had gone through similar experiences. As a person who has recently earned his doctorate, I do not see myself having good prospects back home and I am forced to stay away.

My family spent a fortune and a lot of effort to have me educated overseas and on top of that, I still had to work part-time to fund my studies. For me to go back home after all that effort and settle for a menial job with no good prospects is hardly a choice I am willing to make.

The feelings of homesickness and sorrow due to separation from a young age has already dissipated. All that remains is a fire in the belly fuelling an unquenchable ambition to succeed. After all, years of hard work has proven that it can be done.

I am sure many non-bumiputera Malaysians educated overseas feel the same way and have a similar story to tell. No outdated policy of discrimination is going to put us down. Even beasts will fight back when cornered, what more human beings?

I must say that at the back of my mind, I will jump at the first good opportunity to go back home. At the moment, that does not look likely with the current government's policies expected to remain as the status quo.

To me, the gauntlet has been thrown. I have to swim or sink. Unless our bumiputera brothers and sisters take up the fight together to root out incompetence and corruption in the government, I am afraid that I will just have to bite the bullet and apologise to my family for staying away a little bit longer.